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FRANKLIN DEWEY RICHARDS 





JANE SNYDER RICHARDS 





LIFE OF 
FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL 
of the TWELVE APOSTLES 
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF 
LATTER-DAY SAINTS 





BY 


FRANKLIN L. WEST, Ph. D. 


DEAN OF THE FACULTY 
UTAH AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 


DESERET NEWS PRESS 
SALT LAKE CITY 


Copyright, 1924, by 
FRANKLIN L. WEST 
All Rights Reserved 


Printed in the United States of America 


INTRODUCTORY 


The Rev. Orville Dewey, Unitarian divine, at the 
Sheffield (Mass.) centennial celebration, in June, 1876, 
declared that ‘‘they who do not remember and revere 
their ancestors who have done worthy deeds are not 
likely to leave a posterity that will be worthy of being 
remembered.’’ And he thus continued: ‘‘It is, there- 
fore, not only fit, but it concerns our own character and 
the character of our children, that we should do it; 
that we should take, and leave to our children, an im- 
pression which is good for us and for them. It is an 
advantage in aristocratic countries, that noble families 
who have acted a distinguished part, should in their 
permanence carry down the recollection and incite- 
ment of high, historic virtues. We have no aristocracy. 
All the more reason is there that we, the whole people, 
should take care of these treasures of the olden time; 
that we should take upon our hearts, and keep alive 
within them, the memory of our fathers’ virtues.”’ 

Franklin Dewey Richards was an Apostle in the 
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more 
than fifty years, and at the time of his death was 
president of the Apostles’ Quorum. He went upon 
five missions to the Eastern States, and upon four mis- 
sions to Europe, promulgating the tenets of his faith, 
and in the years 1850-52, 1854-56 and 1867-68 he pre- 
sided over the European Mission. 

As a frontiersman and an early settler in the Inter- 
mountain region, he crossed the plains between the 


4 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


Missouri River and Salt Lake Valley seven times 
before the advent of the railroad. In Nauvoo, Illinois, 
and in Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah, he built his 
home with his own hands. 

He was a brigadier-general in the Utah Militia, 
and for fourteen years probate judge of Weber Coun- 
ty. A member of the Utah Legislature, many times 
re-elected, he was also a regent of the University of 
Deseret (now University of Utah). He was the founder 
and first president of the Utah Genealogical Society, 
first president of the State Historical Society, edi- 
tor of the ‘‘Millennial Star,’’ founder and first edi- 
tor of the ‘‘Ogden Junction,’’ and General Historian 
of the Church. He was a wide reader, a deep thinker, 
and an able speaker and writer—a highly honored and 
much loved man. 

The author of this volume is a grandson of Frank- 
lin D. Richards. During fourteen years in Ogden their 
homes were adjacent—no fence intervening. The 
close family association produced enduring impres- 
sions. It was largely because of the writer’s love and 
admiration for the subject, that he undertook the pre- 
paration of his biography. Grandfather Richards had 
a clear, analytical mind, and possessed breadth of view, 
beauty of soul, and a most lovable nature. The desire 
to do him honor has made this labor of love an enjoy- 
able task, even though an arduous one. 

Most. thoughtful men recognize the value of bio- 
graphical study. The consideration of abstract ethies 
is less profitable than the study of concrete examples. 
The lite of this man exemplified so much that is worthy 
of emulation that the book cannot fail to engender 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS < 


noble thoughts and high resolves in the minds and 
hearts of its readers, especially the posterity of those 
for whom Franklin D. Richards gave his best. 

So intimately connected was his life with all the 
larger movements of the ‘*Mormon’’ community, that 
any record of his activities is a virtual contribution 
to the general history of the Church. The hope is 
cherished that the perusal of these pages will inspire 
faith in the great work to which he devoted his life and 
for which he endured and sacrificed so much. 

In the preparation of this volume I have had free ac- 
cess to and have quoted liberally from the very complete 
diaries kept by my grandfather, and have also drawn 
upon the published writings of men of prominence in 
the Church or in literary circles—such men as George 
q. Cannon, Orson F'. Whitney, Edward W. Tullidge, as 
well as upon the works of Hubert H. Bancroft, his- 
torian, and other sources of information, for facts, 
figures, and utterances illustrative of my theme. In 
this pleasing service my parents, Joseph A. and Jo- 
sephine Richards West, and my uncles, Frankhn §. and 
Charles C. Richards, have rendered invaluable assist- 
ance. It should be known, too, that Franklin S. Rich- 
ards was the initiator of the work. 

We were extremely fortunate in securing the aid 
of Apostle Orson F. Whitney, to whom we are deeply 
indebted for a careful revision of the manuscript prior 
to its publication. He has given to the work the full 
benefit of his excellent literary judgment, his thorough 
knowledge of the subject, and his well-known skill as 
a writer and critic of exceptional ability. 

FRANKLIN L. WEST. 





CONTENTS 


INTRODUCTORY 


CEPA: De heeh 
ANCESTRY AND BOYHOOD 


Early Ancestors—Joseph, Phinehas, Levi and Willard Richards—Frank- 
lin as a School Boy—His Parents’ Religion—‘Mormon” Missionaries— 
BEC ESTONIA AT Cap aA DtiSsT) meno eee et diacetate gree ate Wea eee Leta S Ste ly feigy ty 


OlevledMaleo digi 


THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF 
LATTER-DAY SAINTS 


How “Mormonism” Originated—Church Officers—Tenets and Teachings 
—Doctrinal Standards—Membership Requirements—Missionary and Fi- 
nancial Systems—Vital Statistics—Early Moves of the Church......... 


CEPA EE Raga Of 
IN MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS 


The Spirit of Gathering—Franklin’s Journey Westward—A Powerful 
Manifestation—Mobs and Their Outrages—The Haun’s Mill Massacre— 
George Spencer Richards a Victim—Causes of Persecution—Arrival at 
Far West—Goes to Quincy, Illinois—First Sight of the Prophet—Or- 
dained a Seventy at Nauvoo—Called on a Mission..................45- 


GHAR EER ei 
THE PROBLEM OF MISSIONS 

Numerical Strength and Geographical Distribution of the World’s 
Religions—Why “Mormonism’s’” Message is Sent Forth—Proselyting 
Methods Compared—Labors of Franklin D. Richards—Nine Missions 
Seen OUCEE UT Sec Ore CLIP Naan ee uett ae hes ey Law ge erate 2 Woy cules os 

GEAR TE Ray 

MISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES 


In Northern Indiana—Organizes a Branch at La Porte—Thirty Public 
Lectures—Returns to Nauvoo—Again at La Porte—The Snyder Family 
—Labors in Ohio—Corner Stones of Temple Laid—Attends Other 


Page 


13 


2h 


38 


§ FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 

Page 
Churches—Defeats an Infidel in Public Argument—Interviews Professor 
Curtis, the Renowned Thomsonian—Ordained a High Priest—Visits the 
Kirtland Temple—In New York State and in Canada.................. 43 


GHA PR aver 
LIFE IN NAUVOO 


Marriage with Jane Snyder—Her Miraculous Healing and Conversion— 
Building a Home—The Prophet Kidnapped—Rescue and Return—First 
Child Born—Franklin ‘Welcomes His Father to Nauvoo—Starts for 
England—Mission Postponed—The Prophet’s Mantle upon President 
Young—In Michigan for fhe Nauvoo Temple—Assistant Church Historian 
—Plural Marriage—Elizabeth McFate Richards—Work on the Temple— 
Final’ ‘Ordinances | 720) 0 ee a ee 49 


CHAP ERG VELe 
THE EXODUS 


Nauvoo in 1846—Expulsion of the Saints from I[llinois—The Mormon 
Battalion—Death of Joseph W. Richards—Franklin Sends His Family 
West—His First Foreign Mission—Hardships and Sorrows of the 
Exodus—Jane Richards’ Patient Endurance—Death of Isaac, Wealthy 
and Elizabeth—At Liverpool—A Missionary’s Solicitude for His Absent 
AMY panther tee ae at al tee ee ela er eae oly ea okt Rte een ote eee 60 


CHAPTER seViilt 
IN THE BRITISH MISSION 


How that Field was Opened—The Richards Family in Missionary Work 
—Franklin’s First Sea Voyage—[In Charge of the Scottish Branches— 
Counselor to President Orson Spencer—Famine in Britain—Dreams of 
His Call to the Apostleship—Conducts the First Company of British 
Saints Bound for the Rocky Mountains—The Ocean Journey—Quelling 
the Tempest—Kind Acts of Officers on Board—A Prosperous Voyage 73 


CE ASP VEGI eel: 


CROSSING THE GREAT PLAINS 


At Winter Quarters—Preparing to Start West—Emigrations of 1847 and 


1848—Mode of Travel—Camp Government—Experience with Indians— 
Arrival in Salt Lakes Valley). of. vicm. . eee ee ee nee 89 


CEAP TEE RI BX 
IN SALT LAKE VALLEY 
Another Home Built—Birth of Franklin Snyder Richards—Food Scarcity 


—Crickets and Gulls—Call to the Apostleship—Another Foreign Mission 
—Josephine Richards West—Plural Wives and Their Children—Primi- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


tive Mail Service—Pony Express and Electric Telegraph—Reception and 
Assimilation of _Immigrants—Apostolic Home Duties.................. 


Cl AT Rac] 


SECOND MISSION ABROAD 


Apostles Sent to Various Countries—Franklin D. Richards to England— 
Incidents En Route—Arrival at Liverpool—Succeeds O'rson Pratt as 
President of the British Muission—Typical ‘Star’? Editorials—Work 
Vigorously Prosecuted—The Perpetual Emigration Fund—Franklin’s 
Brother Samuel Succeeds. Him—Return’to Utah: 2.06. koe ee 


CTU Ey ead 


AGAIN IN EUROPE 


President of the Church in the British Isles and, Adjacent Countries— 
Letter of Appointment—Samuel W. Richards and the House of Commons 
Committee on Emigrant Ships—Changes in Emigration Route and Mis- 
sion Headquarters—An Ethnological Basis—Karl G. Maeser’s Conver- 
sion—Letter from President Jedediah M. Grant—Emigrational Statistics 
—The British Mission at its Zenith—Stalwart Helpers—Tullidge’s Poem 
me ONTCGlattOn Fr OTes ONCem MOLel viii i)s es ia cc sek ete a eue wlepaibien a wibiore tase 


Gi rahe Ch 
MILITARY SERVICE 


The Nauvoo Legion in Illinois and in Utah—Brigadier-General Franklin 
D. Richards—The Echo Canyon Campaign—Mission of Colonel Samuel 
W. Richards—Colonel Kane and Mediation—The Move South—Peace 
Restored—Commander of Weber-Box Elder Military District—Member 
of Territorial Military Board—Militia Forbidden to Train—The Legion 
BO STVCC atree atE Mire Me hci Cae eR OR ive y oGAVnGa EOL ade Ue Ree cet aG, ats 


CAC Ey be REGEN: 


LAST FOREIGN MISSION 


The Work in Britain—Franklin D. Richards Again in the Field—Tour 
of the British and Continental Conferences—The Paris Exposition—In- 
terview with John Bright—Succeeds Brigham Young, Jr., as Mission 
President—Brings a Steamship Company to Terms—Among Swiss and 
German Saints—Revives the British Mission—Commendation from the 
Head of the Church—Returns to Utah—President Young’s- Warm 
Meeetinc MOOG MOCONCTATIIIATION Oey intense teeter only Sana at ew rM ew uGce 


Chin ai eof PD EFI ES |) AY! 


HOME INDUSTRIES AND CO-OPERATION 


The Problem of Community Self-Support—Agriculture and Manufacture 
Encouraged—Why Mining Was Banned—The Deseret Iron Company— 


9 
Page 


97 


112 


124 


139 


152 


10 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 

Page 
Failures and Successes in Local Enterprises—Co-operative Irrigation, 
Production and Distribution—Z. C. M. I—Franklin D. Richards’ Part 
in sthe Great (Movement (0225 os ots c'he die «nis plea ete wise a 160 


CHAPTER XVI 
HOME LIFE IN OGDEN 


Apostles Presiding in the Stakes—Franklin D. Richards Sent to Ogden— 
Probate Judge of Weber County—Home and Hospitality—Arrival of the 
Railroad Celebrated—Judge Richards’ Speech of Welcome—Laying of 
the Last Rail—The Utah Central Road—Stakes Reorganized and 
Apostles Relieved—Judge Richards Continues to Reside in Ogden— 
Death of His Son Lorenzo—The Apostle’s Seventieth Anniversary...... 167 


GHAR DER Sanyal 
EDITOR AND EXPOUNDER 


Founder and Editor of the “Ogden Junction”’—Organizes and Fosters 
Young People’s Associations—A Lover of Books, Lectures and Learning 
—The Compendium—A University Regent—Dissertations on Doctrine... 178 


CHAP TBR VsL UL 


LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL 


The State of Deseret and Territory of Utah—Franklin D. Richards in the 
Legislature—The Judiciary—The Utah Commission—The Hoar Amend- 
ment—The Kimball-Richards Case—Holding the Fort for the Rights of 
the People—An Untarnished, Record 2.2.2 vee eee 188 


WEL RATA Ra eae 
DURING THE CRUSADE 


Proceedings Under the Edmunds Law—President Taylor Predicts a 
“Storm”—The Church’s Attitude—First Presidency and Others in Exile 
—Franklin D. Richards the “Visible Head of the Church’’—Anti-Poly- 
gamy Legislation—The Church Disincorporated and its Property 
Escheated—A Great Legal Battle—Franklin S. and Charles C. Richards 
to the Fore—Defeats and Victories—The Snow and Bassett Cases— 
Idaho’s Test Oath Law—The Manifesto—Administrative Labors—Timely 
Instructions) eo i.i.cd halah oe choles Dae bobo aaa alte ea re ee 197 


CHA PLE Re axa 
A PILGRIMAGE TO SACRED PLACES 
Burial Place of Mormon Battalion Boys, Pueblo, Colorado—Jackson 


County, Missouri—Carthage Jail—Nauvoo—Former Homes of Franklin 
D. and Willard Richards—Other Points of Interest in the City of Joseph 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


—Part of Book of Mormon Manuscript Procured—At Richmond, Mis- 
sire David WV itmmerssnek CStITTIOTIY othe Pheer oure ies te aie che och eens Cyne) 


GE AT DW Rie xo | 
GENEALOGICAL AND TEMPLE WORK 


Temples and Their Purpose—Salvation for the Dead—Genealogical Re- 
search—The Richards, Dewey, Comstock and Snyder Genealogies— 
Franklin’s Vicarious Labors—Records Obtained for Others—The Utah 
Genealogical Society—Divine Manifestations in BGS er eral of the 
DRE, BBO EEN Vig eate GRE Ay INR A ota igh GD a earl eA a Ha A a 


CHABPGER XXTI 
LAST YEARS OF HIS LIFE 


Franklin D. Richards Church Historian—Bancroft’s History of Utah— 
President of the State Historical Society—President of the Twelve 
Apostles—Utah Pioneer Jubilee—The Tithing Reform Movement— 
Illness and Death—Funeral and Interment—Eulogies by George Q. 
Cannon, Edward W. Tullidge, and Orson F .Whitney—The Author’s 
ME DILCMLOREL ISS GEODGSI£E Lee ne aie ae re REL MS due ane kL sain ies I 


APPENDIX 


LATER LIFE AND OBSEQUIES OF 
JANE SNYDER RICHARDS 


eoeornr eevee eee 


WIVES AND CHILDREN OF 
FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


eoreeoeerece ee eres 


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237 


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CHAPTER I 
ANCESTRY AND BOYHOOD 


Early Ancestors—Joseph, Phinehas, Levi and ‘Willard Richards—Frank- 
lin as a School Boy—His Parents’ Religion—“Mormon” Missionaries— 
Conversion and Baptism. 

Before the time of the Norman Conquest, the 
Richards name was known in Scandinavia, Germany, 
France and Spain, with its terminations varied accord- 
ing to national usage. It is probable that the ancestors 
of Franklin Dewey Richards came to the British Isles 
at approximately the time of William the Conqueror, 
Duke of Normandy, who defeated Harold, the last of 
the Saxon kings of England, and obtained control of 
that country (A. D. 1066). 

The name is repeatedly associated with nobility 
and landed titles of the British Isles. Books of her- 
aldry give no less than seventeen distinct coats of arms 
by the name of Richards. 

Franklin’s progenitors are next to be found in 
New England, for he was of that sturdy Puritan stock 
which came to this country in quest of religious and 
political liberty. His earliest American ancestor, 
Richard Richards, settled at Lynn, Massachusetts, in 
1633—only thirteen years after the landing of the 
Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower. The fam- 
ily continued to live in New England until its members 
became identified with the acne Saints and 
moved westward. 

The maiden name of Franklin D. Richerds: mother 


14 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


was Wealthy Dewey. It is interesting to note that her 
lineage also passed along the Saxon line from the Con- 
tinent to England at the time of the expedition of the 
Norman Conqueror; that the same sort of princely line, 
with numerous coats of arms associated, continued in 
England; and that her ancestor, Thomas Dewey, a dis- 
senter, emigrated from Sandwich, Kent, England, to 
Dorchester, Massachusetts, about 1630. Descendants 
of this staunch Puritan settler include professional 
men of high standing—scholars, statesmen, judges, 
divines, and high ranking officers of the army and 
navy. Thus it is seen that Franklin D. Richards on 
both sides of his family is of English extraction, and 
that he came from courageous, liberty-loving forebears, 
who boldly struck out from the Old World in search of 
new and broader fields of activity, where freedom of 
conscience might be enjoyed. 

Many people can trace their lineage to nobility if 
they go back far enough. It is claimed that a child 
inherits about half of his qualities from his parents, 
about one quarter from his grandparents, and the other 
quarter from his earlier ancestors; the more remote the 
forefather, the less likelihood that the child will re- 
-semble him significantly. It is fitting, therefore, that 
we look more carefully and fully to his immediate 
progenitors. 

Franklin D. Richards’ grandfather, Joseph Rich- 
ards, was a farmer of moderate means. He had been 
a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and took part in 
the battles of Crown Point, Cowpens, and Bennington. 
His wife was Rhoda Howe, whose youngest sister was 
the mother of President Brigham Young. They were 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 15 


blessed with nine children. Three of them, Phinehas 
(Franklin’s father), Levi and Willard, became promi- 
nent among the Latter-day Saints and in the settlement 
of the West. They are the heads of the Richards fam- 
ily of Utah. All three were medical doctors, and were 
cousins to Brigham Young. 

Phinehas was a sergeant-major on the colonel’s 
staff of the Massachusetts militia, a high councilor in 
the Salt Lake Stake, and chaplain, representative and 
senator in the provisional government of the State of 
Deseret (now Utah). 

Levi, for five years, was in the presidency of the 
European Mission. He was surgeon-general of the 
Nauvoo Legion, and physician to the Prophet Joseph 
Smith and his brother Hyrum. In the Prophet’s journal 
under date of April 19, 1843, is found this entry: ‘‘I 
will say that that man (Levi Richards) is the best 
physician I have ever been acquainted with.’’ 

Willard was in Carthage Jail with Joseph and Hy- 
rum Smith and John Taylor, at the time the Prophet 
and the Patriarch were slain. He had been private sec- 
retary to the Prophet, and was his close, personal 
friend. During his eventful lifetime he held many posi- 
tions of honor and trust. One of the earliest editors of 
the ‘‘ Millennial Star,’’ editor of the ‘‘Times and Sea- 
sons,’’ founder, editor and proprietor of the *‘ Deseret 
News,”’ he was also postmaster of Salt Lake City, secre- 
tary of the State of Deseret, president of the council of 
the Utah Legislature, an Apostle, Church Historian, 
and second counselor to President Brigham Young in 
the First Presidency of the Church. 

From these three pioneers of Utah the Richards 


16 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


family has grown to large numbers. The descendants 
are genuine, sensible, hard-working, thrifty, God-fear- 
ing men and women. Among them are to be found 
artists, musicians, editors, lawyers, doctors, college 
professors, merchants, bankers, farmers, bishops, presi- 
dents and apostles. 

Phinehas Richards married Wealthy Dewey— 
already mentioned. Franklin D. was the fourth of 
their nine children, and was born at Richmond, Berk- 
shire County, Massachusetts, April 2, 1821. 


A glimpse of the home land of the Richards family 
will be of interest. Berkshire County is situated in the 
extreme western part of Massachusetts, bordering up- 
on the states of Vermont, New York, and Connecticut. 
Pittsfield (population 41,763 in 1920) is the county 
seat, and is located near the center of the county. Ten 
miles southwest of Pittsfield, in the Taconic moun- 
tains and only a short distance from the state line of 
New York, lies the beautiful little town of Richmond, 
Franklin’s birthplace. 


The Housatonic and Hoosae rivers, the first flow- 
ing south, and the latter north between the Taconic and 
the Hoosae ranges, drain the region of the Berkshire 
hills. The scenery in the valleys of these two rivers is 
exceedingly picturesque, the Berkshire hills being 
noted for their beauty. The Taconic and Hoosae ranges 
cross the state from north to south, the former in the 
extreme west where Richmond is located, the latter on 
the east of Berkshire County. 

The entire county is cut up with hills and valleys 
ranging in elevation from fifteen hundred to thirty-five 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 17 


hundred feet. These were heavily wooded, stocked 
with game, and rather wild and primitive. 

Franklin was an industrious boy, spending his 
time when not in school, either as a worker on the farm, 
or in helping his father at his trade of carpenter. In 
order to lighten the burden of his parents, who had 
a large family, the boy decided at the tender age of ten 
years to attempt to support himself. With this object 
in view, he walked ten miles to a neighboring town, 
where he sought and obtained employment. The next 
five years were spent by him at various places in Berk- 
shire County, the greater part of the time in Pittsfield. 
During two of these years he worked for his uncles 
Willard and Levi, who were engaged in making lumber. 

Although educational opportunities were meagre 
at that time, he received a common school training, and 
also attended the Lenox Academy during one term, 
working mornings, evenings and Saturdays for his 
board. Early in life he formed those studious habits 
that characterize his entire career. He is reputed to 
have read all the books contained in the local Sunday 
School library. It was customary with him (as it was 
with Lincoln in his boyhood) to read by fire-light. 
Speaking of this period, he says that he committed 
whole chapters of scripture to memory. 

Observing his fondness for study, certain good 
women of the community collected funds for the main- 
tenance of a scholarship in one of the New England 
colleges, and offered it to him. He says of this incident: 
‘‘T took time to consider the matter. My parents did 
not constrain me to accept or reject the offer. The 
necessities of the family helped me to make up my 


2 


18 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


mind to deny myself the benefits of a college education, 
and led me to choose the filial duty of aiding to support 
my father’s family, who were young in years and 
needed more than his personal efforts could supply 
by his work as carpenter and painter.’’ This was a real 
sacrifice, for Franklin possessed an insatiable desire 
for learning. 

His parents and grandparents were members of 
the Congregational Church, and the boy frequently at- 
tended prayer meetings with them. On one occasion, 
after the Reverend Mr. Shepard had delivered a very 
interesting and powerful discourse, his mother said to 
him: ‘‘How glad mother would be if her little son 
should grow up to become such a good shepherd!”’ 

In the summer of 1836 Elders Brigham and Joseph 
Young arrived at Richmond, from Ohio. They were, 
at one time, members of the Methodist Church, but 
were now ‘‘Mormon’’ missionaries, having embraced 
the faith about four years previously. Brigham was 
one of the ''welve Apostles, and his brother Joseph was 
president of the Seventies. Delighted with the ‘‘new 
religion,’’ they had journeyed to Massachusetts in the 
hope that their relatives would also accept it. That 
hope was realized. ‘‘Not only did this visit of these 
Elders change our line of thought, but the entire base 
and line of operations of all the future of our lives,”’ 
says Franklin in his journal. 

His father and mother and his uncles Levi and 
Willard soon joined the Church, as did other members 
of the family. But this boy of fifteen years took further 
time to consider. He listened respectfully to what the 
missionaries had to say, and commenced reading the 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 19 


Book of Mormon. To use his own words, he was ‘‘rather 
cautious in receiving the new ideas.’’ 

After two years of careful reading and investiga- 
tion he became converted, and was baptized by his 
father, Phinehas Richards, in the waters of Mill Creek, 
in his native town, June 3, 1838. The following day he 
was confirmed a member of the Church. 


CHAPTER II 


THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF 
LATTER-DAY SAINTS 


How “Mormonism” Originated—Church Officers—Tenets and Teachings 
—Doctrinal Standards—Membership Requirements—Missionary and Finan- 
cial Systems—Vital Statistics—Early Moves of the Church. 


Almost the entire life of Franklin D. Richards was 
devoted to the promulgation of the doctrines of the 
Latter-day Saints, and to labors of a kindred character 
having in view the development and upbuilding of the 
Church. A proper appreciation of him and his life’s 
work cannot be had without some understanding of the 
principles he advocated, the cause he so dearly loved, 
and the wonderful organization in which he was a 
prominent figure. For this reason a brief dissertation 
on the Church and its basic doctrines is here given. 

‘‘Mormonism’’ is not a new religion. ‘There is 
nothing new to it except its name and its place in his- 
tory. It proclaims itself the Everlasting Gospel, re- 
stored to earth at the opening of a new dispensation, 
the last and greatest of a succession of such events, 
reaching from the days of Adam down to the present— 
the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. The term 
‘‘Mormon Church’’ is a misnomer—hence the use of 
quotation marks by ‘‘Mormon’’ writers when using it. 
Strictly speaking, there is no ‘‘Mormon”’ Church. The 
proper title is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
Saints. It was so named by the Savior himself, through 
revelation to its founder and first president, Joseph 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS Zi 


Smith, the Prophet. Its members are styled ‘‘Mor- 
mons’’ for their belief in the Book of Mormon, one of 
the sacred books of the Church. The name ‘‘Latter- 
day Saints’”’ derives its significance from the fact that 
there were former-day saints—the followers of Jesus 
Christ in the meridian of time. From the Church then 
established, there was a general falling away after the 
passing of the Apostles, and this necessitated a restora- 
tion of the Gospel and the Priesthood and a re-estab- 
lishment of the Church of Christ in modern times. 
Joseph Smith as a boy of fourteen years, while 
engaged in prayer, received a heavenly vision of the 
Father and the Son. This manifestation revealed the 
fact that God is in the form of man, a fact plainly indi- 
cated in the Bible, but ignored or denied by many 
Christian teachers of today. It was shown to the 
Prophet that the supreme creative and controlling 
power, constituting the government of the universe, is 
in three glorified beings—the Father, the Son, and the 
Holy Ghost—all in human form; the Father and the 
Son being personages of tabernacle, having bodies as 
tangible as man’s, while the Holy Ghost is a personage 
of spirit. Proceeding from these Three, who constitute 
the Godhead, is an essence or influence called the 
Spirit of the Lord, possessed in some degree by all men, 
but more especially and more fully by the Saints as the 
gift of the Holy Ghost. The Supreme Being is the 
Father of the human race, deeply interested in the wel- 
fare of all his children, who heed but approach Him 
reverently and in faith, in order to receive blessings 
at his hands. His Son, Jesus Christ, set the example of 
a perfect life, taught the principles upon which depend 


22 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


all real happiness and progress in this world and in the 
world to come, and gave his life to make those prin- 
ciples effectual unto man’s salvation. The Holy Ghost 
bears witness of the Father and the Son and confirms 
the faith of those who enlist to serve Heaven. Its 
mission is to enlighten the mind and enlarge the soul 
of the honest seeker after truth. 

On the 15th of May, 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver 
Cowdery went into the woods to pray, and while they 
were calling on the Lord, a messenger from heaven 
(John the Baptist) descended 1n a cloud of light, laid 
his hands upon them and ordained them, saying: 
“Upon you, my fellow-servants, in the name of Mes- 
siah, I confer the priesthood of Aaron, which holds the 
keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of 
repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the re- 
mission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from 
the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer, again an 
offering unto the Lord in righteousness.’’ 

In due time the priesthood of Melchisedek was 
conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, 
through the ministration of the Apostles Peter, James, 
and John. Joseph was commanded to ordain Oliver 
an Hilder, and Oliver was then to ordain Joseph an 
Elder, which they did April 6, 1880, when the Church 
was organized. 7 

Church membership is dependent upon faith in 
God, repentance from sin, baptism by immersion for 
the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for 
the gift (giving) of the Holy Ghost. There can be no 
valid performance of any ordinance of the Gospel 
without divine authority in the person so officiating. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 23 


Continued right living is essential to permanent mem- 
bership and unceasing progress in the Church of Christ. 

The officers of the Church, with accompanying 
duties and responsibilities, are the same as they were 
in the days of the Savior. Among these officers are 
apostles, high priests, seventies, elders, priests, teach- 
ers, and deacons, terms quite familiar to readers of the 
New Testament. 

The President of the Church receives revelation 
for the guidance of the Church; but every member of it 
may have inspiration from heaven for his or her own 
personal behoof. 

The sacred books of the Church—its standards of 
doctrine—are the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and 
Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price; the last named a 
compilation of precious truths selected and brought 
together from various sources. In it are the Writings 
of Moses and the Book of Abraham, the former re- 
vealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith by the Spirit of 
Revelation, the latter translated by him from Egyptian 
papyrus. It also contains the Prophet’s account of his 
early visions and experiences. ‘The Doctrine and Cove- 
nants embodies the revelations given to him for the 
establishment of the Church and the instruction of its 
members. The Holy Bible is accepted literally by the 
Latter-day Saints as the word of God, except 
for the errors that have crept into it through 
faulty translation. The Book of Mormon is an an- 
cient record translated from gold plates that came 
into the possession of Joseph Smith, who, by means 
of the Urim and Thummim, rendered the record 
into English. An angel named Moroni, who had 


24 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


visited Joseph on four different occasions, directed 
him to the place where the plates and the Urim and 
Thummim were found. Three years were occupied in 
their translation. Therein an account is given of the 
peoples who occupied the continents of North and 
South America from the time of the Tower of Babel 
to about 420 A. D., giving not only their political and 
economic history, but more particularly their religious 
experiences. To one of these peoples—the nation of the 
Nephites, a branch of the House of Israel that came 
from Jerusalem about 600 B. C., and of which the 
American Indians are a degenerate remnant—the Sav- 
ior appeared after his resurrection and organized his 
Church among them. The Book of Mormon, contain- 
ing the Gospel of Christ, as delivered by Him to the 
Nephites, tells how He prophesied concerning the build- 
ing of Zion, the New Jerusalem, which is to stand upon 
the North American continent; also the rebuilding of 
the old Jerusalem, and the gathering of Israel in the 
last days, preparatory to the second coming of the 
Lord and the consummation of all things pertaining to 
this planet—God’s footstool. 

The Church is maintained by the free will offerings 
of its members, each contributing a tithe, or one-tenth 
of his or her annual increase, for the carrying on of the 
Lord’s work. ‘Kast offerings and donations for the 
support of the poor and for other worthy causes, are 
also a feature of the ‘‘Mormon’’ financial system. The 
tithes and offerings are not collected during divine 
service, but are given or sent to the bishops, who man- 
age the temporal affairs of the Church. Its member- 
ship has grown to approximately one half million, 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 25 


mostly resident in the Stakes of Zion, now (1924) num- 
bering ninety, and located in Utah and other parts 
of the western country. 

Many members of the Church spend from two to 
three years, and some of them longer periods, in the 
mission field, entirely at their own expense. About 
two thousand missionaries are kept in the field, and 
missions have been established in most of the civilized 
countries of the globe. 

In Utah the birth rate is higher, the death rate 
lower, marriages more numerous, and divorces fewer, 
according to population, than in the United States at 
large. Educationally, Utah stands eighth among the 
forty-eight states of the Union, and seventy-five per 
cent of the ‘‘Mormon”’ families residing within the 
State own their own homes. 

But this is anticipative. Let us now return to 
earlier times. 

Within a year after the organization of the Church 
at Fayette, Seneca County, New York, it moved its 
headquarters to Kirtland, Ohio; and subsequently to 
Har West, Missouri. Jackson County, in that state, 
had been designated by revelation as the central gath- 
ering place of Latter-day Israel, and in 1831 a ‘‘ Mor- 
mon’’ colony settled there and commenced to ‘‘build 
up Zion.’’ ‘Two years later they were mobbed and 
driven from the county. In 1838 the Church made a 
general move into Missouri—not to Jackson County, 
however, but to the new county of Caldwell, where the 
Saints founded the City of Far West. 

It was just at this juncture that Franklin D. Rich- 
ards came into the Church. Its membership was then 


26 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


about five thousand, and new converts were rapidly be- 
ing made through the earnest labors of faithful and de- 
voted missionaries. Both in Ohio and Missouri the 
Saints suffered persecution, and the troubles in the 
latter state were at their height about the time of 
Franklin’s baptism. 

Having traced thus far the story of his life, we 
will now follow the footsteps of this zealous disciple 
of the Master, on his westward journey to mingle his 
lot with that of the Lord’s persecuted people. 


CHAPTER IT 
IN MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS 


The Spirit of Gathering—Franklin’s Journey Westward—A Powerful 
Manifestation—Mobs and Their Outrages—The Haun’s Mill Massacre— 
George Spencer Richards a Victim—Causes of Persecution—Arrival at Far 
West—Goes to Quincy, Illinois—First Sight of the Prophet—Ordained a 
Seventy at Nauvoo—Called on a Mission. 

Converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- 
day Saints generally develop a strong desire to gather 
around their leaders and live with those of the same 
religious faith. Franklin’s uncles, Levi and Willard, 
and his younger brother, George Spencer Richards, had 
gone to join the main body of the Saints. He determined 
to do likewise. Accordingly, four months after his bap- 
tism, on October 22, 1838, he and his cousin, Edward D. 
Pierson, left Richmond, Massachusetts, with Far West, 
Missouri, as their destination. 

That journey of thirteen hundred miles, before 
there was a railroad in those parts, was quite an under- 
taking for the two boys. Franklin was but seventeen 
years of age at the time. 

The population of the United States then num- 
bered only sixteen millions, distributed in the general 
shape of a triangle, with its base along the Atlantic 
seaboard, and the apex in Missouri. There were less 
than five thousand people in the state of Iowa. Chicago 
was about the size of Brigham City, and St. Louis the 
size of Ogden, having five thousand and thirty-five 
thousand inhabitants, respectively. 

Ohio and Illinois were for the most part a wilder- 


28 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


ness, and Western Missouri was on the frontier of 
civilization; the lands beyond being held by the In- 
dians under Mexican or British rule. Between Lake 
Erie and the Mississippi River there were a few settle- 
ments, but they were recent, small and crude. 

In national history, this period is known as the 
Period of Westward Expansion. Whether slavery 
should be extended as new territory became settled, 
was the burning issue. Through compromise, Missouri 
had been admitted as a slave state. Van Buren, Har- 
rison, and Polk were the Presidents in succession from 
1837 to 1849. 

Means of travel and communication were of such a 
primitive character that it was difficult to keep in 
touch with events. Railroads were not in general use, 
and the telegraph was a thing of the future. People 
traveled in wagons, on horseback, or more luxuriously 
by stage coach or canal boat. On the great rivers steam- 
boats plied to and fro. Mails were slow and generally 
delayed; newspapers uncommon, and as a rule issued 
weekly or monthly. 

While Franklin D. Richards was traveling to Mis- 
souri, the mob troubles in that state were speeding to 
a tragic culmination. He wrote thus in his diary: 

‘‘On the way I crossed the Alleghany Mountains 
in Pennsylvania. We pursued our journey tardily on 
account of low water in the Ohio River, until we 
reached St. Louis. Here we received first news of the 
persecution which was now raging furiously against 
our people in Missouri. We stored our baggage and 
proceeded on foot, having a distance of two hundred 
and seventy-five miles yet to go. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 29 


‘*Tt was our lot to stay with two men who had been 
‘out in the war.’ One of them drew a large belt pistol 
and said he would shoot a ‘Mormon’ or the friend of a 
‘Mormon,’ as soon as he avowed himself such. This 
was the general spirit of the mob. 

‘*At Columbia, the county seat of Boone County, 
we stayed overnight with a Major Wall, who had just 
returned from a campaign against the ‘Mormons.’ 
He entertained us with the most atrocious falsehoods, 
and with accounts of the barbarous crimes committed 
by him and his command while out on that campaign. 
Cousin Pierson was too foot-sore to proceed farther, so 
I went on without him. 

‘The day after, while traveling on the prairie, I 
received my first manifestation of divine power, the 
inspiration of the Holy Ghost ministering unto me a 
fuller understanding of the principles of the Gospel, 
and a more perfect knowledge of the heavenly work I 
had espoused. It divested me of all doubt, and filled 
me with an unshaken confidence in the things of God. 
It so established me in the faith that I have never from 
that time doubted for a moment the things revealed 
to me, or the things divinely promised to be fulfilled 
in this dispensation.”’ 

The weary tramp at an end, on December 8, 1838, 
he arrived at Far West; there to learn of a terrible deed 
which, on October 30, less than six weeks before, had 
robbed him of his brother George, who with others had 
been massacred by a mob of ruffians, about two hun- 
dred and forty in number, at Haun’s Mill, near Far 
West. Seventeen men and boys, out of a httle com- 
pany of thirty or forty Saints encamped there, had been 


30 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


murdered and their bodies thrown into a well. From 
the survivors Franklin learned the particulars of this 
atrocity. An aged man, a veteran of the Revolutionary 
War, attempting to escape, was overtaken, his gun 
snatched from him, and he literally hacked to pieces 
with an old corn cutter. A mere lad, the only survivor 
of a score of men and boys who had taken refuge in an 
old blacksmith shop, begged for his life. In reply, one 
of the mob placed the muzzle of his gun at the boy’s 
head and literally blew it to atoms. They then plund- 
ered the dead bodies, before disposing of them as 
described. 

Young George Richards, Grandfather’s youngest 
brother, only fifteen years of age, had exhibited the 
faith and courage characteristic of the stock from 
which he sprang, by leaving home as the pioneer of his 
father’s family, and traveling that great distance to 
east his lot with the unpopular ‘‘Mormons,”’ to brave 
the hardships of frontier service and lay down his life 
for the cause he loved so dearly. 

The history of the Latter-day Saints records a 
long series of severe persecutions. Beginning in the 
state of New York, they continued with increasing 
violence in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. Houses were 
unroofed or burned, property destroyed, settlements 
left desolate, families scattered and compelled to flee 
for safety. Through these unlawful depredations the 
people were stripped of the accumulations of years of 
toil. Some were forced at the point of the bayonet to 
deed away their property. Their leaders were har- 
assed and annoyed with law-suits, and imprisoned on 
trumped-up charges that had no foundation in fact. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 31 


On several occasions men were tarred and feathered, 
and others slain outright. On June 27, 1844, two of 
the noblest men that ever lived, men whose lives were 
devoted to the service of humanity, the Prophet Joseph 
Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch, 
were murdered by a mob at Carthage, Illinois. 

To men and women now living in this great coun- 
try, whose Constitution guarantees religious liberty, 
and in this modern age of Christian enlightenment, 
such appalling facts seem incredible. We will pause, 
therefore, in our narrative long enough to briefly ex- 
plain the causes of such persecution. 

The earliest ‘‘Mormon”’ converts came largely 
from New England, and the Missourians were slave- 
holders. Naturally the social customs of the two classes 
differed, and they clashed in their views on the ques- 
tion of slavery. The older settlers were fearful lest 
the immigrants from the North would ultimately out- 
number them, and Missouri thereby be changed from a 
slave to a free state. This would mean that they might 
lose their slaves, which were very profitable to them. 
It aroused the same feeling of resentment that would 
have been produced by people coming among them who, 
they feared, might steal their personal property. 

Through efficient missionary work the Church was 
erowing rapidly. Wherever the ‘‘Mormons’’ settled, 
towns and villages sprang up as by magic. Political 
demagogues feared that they would rule that part of 
the country. And the fear was well grounded. It 
would have been but a short time before the new- 
comers would have out-numbered the older settlers. 
Morally, socially, and industrially, they were superior 


32 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


to most of their neighbors, and because of this they 
were envied, feared and hated. 

Their motives were grossly misinterpreted. ‘The 
revelation indicating Jackson County, Missouri, as 
their central gathering place, and the town of Inde- 
pendence as the site for the New Jerusalem, the spot 
where a holy temple would be reared, unto which the 
Savior would come, was construed by the Missourians 
to mean that the ‘‘Mormons”’ claimed Jackson County 
by divine inheritance, and intended to conquer it in 
like manner as Joshua conquered the land of Canaan. 
Tt was asserted that their plan was to unite with the 
Indians across the border and drive the ‘*Gentiles’”’ 
from the land. And this, though the Saints abhorred 
bloodshed and violence, and had honestly purchased 
from the Government or from private owners every 
foot of ground that they occupied. 

Goaded by bitter taunts and hateful actions, some 
of the new settlers may have been indiscreet and in- 
temperate in their language. It was claimed that at 
times they were arrogant and annoying in speech and 
manner. Such characters are found in every community, 
but are seldom, if ever, in the majority. H. H. Bancroft, 
a non-‘‘ Mormon’’ historian, says: ‘‘The Mormons in 
Missouri and Illinois were as a class a more moral, 
honest, temperate, hard-working, self-denying, and 
thrifty people than the Gentiles by whom they were 
surrounded.’’ (Bancroft’s History of Utah, page 164.) 

The ‘‘Gentiles’’ charged that the ‘‘Mormons’’ 
stood united in almost all matters, and that their com- 
pact organization gave them a strength disproportion- 
ate to their numbers. They held the balance of power 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 33 


and could throw their vote to the Whigs or to the Dem- 
ocrats, just as they chose, thus deciding the issue at the 
polls. Following each election, therefore, a torrent 
of abuse was poured out upon them by the leaders of 
the defeated party. The candidacy of Joseph Smith 
for the Presidency of the United States, also contrib- 
uted to the general feeling of ill-will. 

Religious rancor, too, was never wanting. It played 
a most prominent part in the tragic drama. Christian 
ministers recognized in the ‘* Mormon’’ preachers pow- 
erful rivals. Their flocks were being decimated through 
conversions to the faith of the Saints, and this affected 
their pride and means of livelihood. Many of them not 
only became jealous and revengeful, but were the actual 
instigators and leaders of mobs in some of the most 
cruel persecutions. 

There have always been found, on the frontiers of 
civilization, not only the strong, progressive, law-abid- 
ing pioneer, but also the adventurer, the fugitive from 
justice, and those who commit crimes for a livelihood. 
Governor Ford in his History of Illinois (page 246) 
says of this period: ‘‘Then again the northern part 
of the state was not destitute of its organized bands of 
rogues engaged in murders, robberies, horse-stealing, 
and in making and passing counterfeit money.’’ Presi- 
dent John Taylor adds: ‘‘'Their influence was so great 
as to control important state and county offices.’’ Colo- 
nel Thomas L. Kane, a disinterested observer and a na- 
tional figure, not a ‘‘Mormon,”’ referred to the border 
ruffians of Ohio and Missouri as the ‘‘vile seum which 
our own society, like the great ocean, washes up on 
its frontiers.’’ He spoke of the pleasure he experienced 


34 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


when in 1846 he came to the ‘‘ Mormon”’ camps at Coun- 
cil Bluffs, ‘‘associating again with persons who were 
almost all of Hastern-American origin—persons of re- 
fined habit and decent language.”’ 

It is to the credit of our people that they an- 
tagonize these unsavory elements. As might be ex- 
pected, however, a number of adventurers were drawn 
in the net with other converts. Some of these shady 
characters had ulterior and sinister motives in joining 
the ranks of the Saints. Shifty and intelligent, they 
sought and obtained prominent positions in the Church 
and had the confidence of its leaders. When their un- 
worthiness was discovered they were promptly ex- 
communicated. The extent of their bitterness and 
hatred is indescribable. One of these treacherous men, 
a Colonel Hinkle, betrayed the Prophet and his friends 
into the hands of the Missouri mob. John C. Bennett 
and other apostates in Illinois also became very active 
in the persecution of their former associates. 

In addition to these specific and temporal reasons 
for the mobbings and drivings of the Saints, the follow- 
ing general cause may be cited: Their religion was 
radically different from the religious views of their 
neighbors, who were in the main church-going people, 
members of Christian congregations. It is human na- 
ture to be conservative—to stand in the way of change 
and advancement. The great scientists, with few ex- 
ceptions, have been opposed and persecuted. Galileo 
and Bruno are typical examples. Opposition and mar- 
tyrdom were the common lot of the prophets of old, 
the Apostles of the Savior, and many of the early 
saints. The Redeemer of the world, man’s greatest 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 35 


friend and benefactor, was crucified between two crim- 
inals, and He told his disciples that if they followed 
in his footsteps they must expect trials and persecu- 
tion. The Latter-day Saints were patient to the 
extreme in bearing their hardships and sufferings, and 
their steadfastness through all is the strongest evidence 
of their sincerity and devotion to the Master’s cause. 

When Franklin D. Richards arrived at Far West 
the persecuted people were moving out of the state, 
heading towards Quincy, Illinois. He, of course, joined 
them. He met two of the Twelve Apostles, Brigham 
Young and Heber C. Kimball, and his uncles Levi and 
Willard Richards, and from them received counsel to 
assist him in his future course. 

He walked most of the way to Quincy, and worked 
at various kinds of manual labor, such as cutting tim- 
ber and driving team. His parents had furnished him 
money for the journey to the West, and he was anxious 
to repay them as soon as possible. He sought, there- 
fore, every opportunity for employment and was very 
conservative and conscientious in his expenditures. 
In his journal he said: ‘*When my parents think that 
I have done my duty to them, I shall be ready to do my 
duty to God, in warning my fellowmen of the judg- 
ments and sorrows to come; this is my desire and 
prayer.”’ 

He wrote home concerning one of his brothers: 
‘Tell Samuel to do his duty and be constant in prayer, 
and he shall have a witness that the work is true. This 
is a day to try men’s faith, and if they cannot stand it, 
what will they do when sorrow comes?”’ Still speak- 
ing of his brother, he said: ‘‘If he gets a thousand miles 


36 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


from home, he will find that the religion of the Church 
will comfort him in many a lonesome hour. [I find it 
so.’’ To that brother he thus expressed himself: ‘‘Yes, 
Brother Samuel, my faith was tried to a degree and 
somewhat shaken, but I took to constant prayer and 
soon my doubt all fled.’”’ His conscientious nature is 
shown in the following extract from one of his letters 
to his parents: 

‘‘T consider it my duty to account to you for the 
manner in which I have spent my time, knowing that 
the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from 
a servant, though he be lord of all. On January 1, 1839, 
T contracted to labor for a Mr. Hill, who lived on a hill 
six miles north of St. Louis, on Cahokia Creek. The 
Saints were moving out of Missouri and concentrating, 
as a temporary refuge, at and about Quincy, Illinois, 
on the east bank of the Mississippi River, about one 
hundred and forty miles north of St. Louis, and one 
hundred and eighty miles southwest of Chicago.. In 
the spring I moved there and hired out to Mr. Brown, 
a deacon of the Baptist Church, and worked with him 
until I had to discontinue because of sickness. While 
sick I boarded part of the time with Brother Curtis, 
and part of the time kept bachelor’s house with Uncle 
Levi.”’ 

At a conference held at Quincy in May, 1839, Frank- 
lin first saw the Prophet Joseph Smith. Soon after this, 
the Prophet purchased for the Church tracts of land 
at Commerce, some fifty miles up the river. There 
hved Daniel H. Wells, who was not then connected with 
the Church, in which he afterwards rose to great prom- 
mence. ‘There were but four or five homes at Com- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 37 


merce, and three of these were log structures. Origin- 
ally a damp, unhealthy spot, it became, through drain- 
age and by the blessing of the Lord, sweet and whole- 
some. Situated in a bend of the Mississippi River, the 
location was beautiful, and the name was changed to 
Nauvoo, which means ‘‘The Beautiful.’’ The village 
or hamlet grew rapidly, as the result of the gathering of 
new converts from the Hast and the flocking in of the 
persecuted people from Missouri. After the death of 
its founder, Nauvoo was renamed the City of Joseph, 
but it did not long bear that title, as the Saints, two 
years later, were compelled to abandon the place and 
flee into the wilderness. 

Franklin D. Richards attended the Church con- 
ference at Nauvoo, in April, 1840, and on the ninth day 
of that month he was ordained a Seventy by President 
Joseph Young, assisted by Elder Albert P. Rockwood. 
At the same time he was called on a mission to North- 
ern Indiana. Returning to Quincy to close up his busi- 
ness, he there preached, on the 21st of June, his first 
sermon. Having adjusted his affairs, he returned to 
Nauvoo, spent the 4th of July in that city, and then de- 
parted for his field of labor. This marked the beginning 
of a long period of splendid missionary service. 


CHAPTER IV 
THE PROBLEM OF MISSIONS 


Numerical Strength and Geographical Distribution of the World's 
Religions—Why ‘“Mormonism’s” Message is Sent Forth—Proselyting Meth- 
ods Compared—Labors of Franklin D. Richards—Nine Missions Without 
Purse or Scrip. 


Mankind is ‘‘incurably religious,’’? and probably 
always has been. Some form of religion exists among 
practically all peoples. The following table, compiled 
in 1920, gives an estimate of the relative strength of 
the religions of the world and the territory occupied 
by each: 








Name of Religion Members in Millions Lands Where Most 
(Round Numbers) Of Them Reside 

Christians 550 Europe, North and 

South America 
Followers of Buddha 400 South and Eastern 
Asia 

Brahmanical Hindoos 200 India 

Followers of Confucius 100 China 

Mohammedans 200 Northern Africa and 


Southern Asia 
Pagans, not otherwise enumerated 250 


Total 1,700 





There are many sects of large membership in each 
of the above mentioned units. 

The development of all these religions excepting 
the Christian, has been arrested, and even this is mak- 
ing headway in a faltering, hesitating manner. Not so 
the Latter-day Saints or ‘‘ Mormons,’’ who, since they 
are followers of Christ and believers in the Bible, are 
entitled to be classed as Christians. In their views and 
practices they resemble the Protestants more than they 
do the Catholics. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 39 


The argument has been advanced that inasmuch 
as every nation or people has developed a religion of 
its own, adapted to the degree of intelligence and state 
of morality manifested by each, that it is therefore the 
best for that people, and that the churches should de- 
vote their time and efforts to their own flocks, and not 
dissipate their energies in striving to convert one an- 
other. In this connection, a passage found in Acts 10: 
34, 35, is sometimes quoted: ‘‘T’hen Peter opened his 
mouth and said: ‘Of a truth I perceive that God is no 
respecter of persons. But in every nation he that 
feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted 
with Him.’’ 

This was said, however, because Cornelius and his 
kinsmen, who were ‘‘Gentiles,’’ had manifested their 
willingness to receive the Gospel, and were worthy to 
receive it. The following passage from the Book of 
Mormon, is more germane to the argument: ‘‘For 
behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their 
own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wis- 
dom, all that He seeth fit that they should have; there- 
fore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, 
according to that which is just and true.’’ (Alma, 29:8.) 

These sacred sayings were not intended to con- 
trovert, nor are they at all in opposition to, the great 
command of the Savior to his Apostles, to preach the 
Gospel to every creature, in order that the world may 
be warned of impending judgments and that scattered 
Israel may be gathered in from their long dispersion 
—which is one great reason for the preaching of the 
Gospel in latter days. 

There is some truth, mixed with error, in all 


40 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


religions. But it would be unreasonable to infer that 
they are all equally good or equally beneficial, any 
more than all works of literature, art, music, etc., are 
of equal value, or that all forms of government are 
equally effective in promoting man’s welfare. All the 
people of the earth are children of our Heavenly Fath- 
er, and He blesses and enlightens them by his Spirit, 
according to their capacity to receive, be it large or 
small, and just as fast as they place themselves in a 
position to be so blessed and enlightened. Truth in 
large measure was given by Jesus the Master. Only 
a few, however, were able to understand and appreciate 
his message, and most of his contemporaries rejected 
it altogether. 

The fundamental principles of the Gospel of 
Christ find application among all men, but all have not 
the capacity to receive the truth in its fulness. Hence, 
Alma’s declaration, above quoted. He longed to teach 
all nations, but his ministry was limited to the people 
immediately around him. Unlike the Apostles in a 
later generation, he had not been sent into ‘‘all the 
world’’ to preach the Gospel ‘‘to every creature.”’ 
When the proper time came, such preachers were sent 
forth upon both hemispheres. Just as Jesus in ancient 
days sent his Apostles to every nation, kindred, ton- 
gue and people, so He has given the same direction to 
his Apostles in modern times. 

Missions, therefore, are being established by the 
Latter-day Saints in all parts of the world. The work 
instituted by the Prophet Joseph will grow until it 
extends to all peoples. The Prophet Daniel foresaw 
this in the career of ‘‘the stone cut out without hands,’’ 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 41 


which smote the ‘‘great image’’ and expanded and in- 
creased until it ‘‘filled the whole earth.’’ (Daniel 2: 
31-45.) 

As fast as people develop to a point where they can 
appreciate and be benefited by the gift of the Holy 
Ghost, the Gospel message will reach them. All men 
will not receive the fulness of the Truth, but all must be 
warned of the judgments that impend over the wicked 
who reject it and persecute its believers and advocates. 
Israel must be gathered, Zion established, and the way 
prepared for the glorious coming of Him before whom, 
ultimately, ‘‘every knee shall bow and every tongue 
confess.”’ 

The so-called ‘‘ Mormon’’ Church is not only very 
different from the other churches in its doctrines and 
organization; it also varies from them in its method of 
making converts. The Mohammedans, throughout 
their extended proselyting crusade, and the Christians 
in their missionary work in Northern Europe and in 
Mexico, used violence—even the sword. They were ac- 
companied and supported by armies. Even in this day 
Catholic and Protestant missionaries receive financial 
remuneration for their service. 

Contrast with these methods those of the humble 
Elders of Israel, who give their time and means to 
the work of God, out of love for Him and their fellow- 
men. ‘They receive no financial remuneration, and 
yet, with but half a million members to draw upon, 
the Church keeps about two thousand missionaries 
constantly in the field. At present ‘‘Mormon’’ par- 
ents usually pay the expenses of their sons and daugh- 
ters while on missions; but in earlier days this was not 


42 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


done. The Elders sent out into the world traveled 
literally without purse or scrip, according to the ex- 
ample set by the Savior and his ancient Apostles. 

Franklin D, Richards was no exception. Between 
the years 1840 and 1845 he went upon five missions— 
two to Indiana, and one each to Ohio, New York and 
Michigan. Between 1846 and 1868 he filled four mis- 
sions to Europe. In all, nine missions without purse 
or scrip. He had such a gentlemanly address, such a 
courteous manner, such a kind heart, and carried so 
much comfort and sunshine with him, that he was a 
welcome guest in the homes of the people to whom he 
delivered his priceless message. In return, he was 
very expressive of his gratitude for their hospitality, 
and always left his blessing with them. 

Of him and those like him, it may well be said— 
and, indeed, was said virtually in days of old: ‘‘Bless- 
ed are they who turn many unto righteousness, for 
they shall shine as the stars—yea, even as the sun— 
forever and ever!’’ 


CHAPTER V | 
MISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES 


In Northern Indiana—Organizes a Branch at La Porte—Thirty Public 
Lectures—Returns to Nauvoo—Again at La Porte—The Snyder Family— 
Labors in Ohio—Corner Stones of Temple Laid—Attends Other Churches— 
Defeats an Infidel in Public Argument—Interviews Professor Curtis, the 
Renowned Thomsonian—Ordained a High Priest—Visits the Kirtland Tem- 
ple—In New York State and in Canada. 


Franklin D. Richards started upon his first mis- 
sion July 13, 1840. His ministerial activities centered 
about the town of La Porte, in the extreme northern 
part of Indiana. In this locality the people were largely 
Campbellites or reformed Baptists. Their beliefs were 
quite similar in some respects to those of the Latter- 
day Saints, both churches standing for the literal in- 
terpretation of the Scriptures; and since the ‘‘ Mor- 
mon’’ faith can be readily substantiated by the Bible 
the field was a promising one for the young missionary. 

He states in his journal that his purpose was to 
preach the truth, convert people to the faith, and en- 
deavor to build up branches of the Church, and he 
further says: ‘‘I traveled on foot with my valise, a 
book or two, and a change of underclothing, seeking 
opportunities by the way to preach the Gospel. I 
went without any means to pay my expenses, and asked 
the people for a chance to state my sentiments and 
views. I did not meet with many rebuffs, probably 
because of my youth, and from many received very 
kindly consideration. 

‘““T went out on my mission with the utmost diffi- 
dence. I told the Lord in my prayers that if He would 
make me instrumental in convincing three good, hon- 


44 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


est souls, who would accept the truth and obey it unto 
salvation, I would be satisfied with His goodness and 
with the prosperity of my efforts. I started out in 
July, and came back the next spring. I was the means 
of converting and baptizing eight persons.’’ He or- 
ganized a branch at La Porte, and fervently prayed 
for its members: ‘‘O Lord, grant that they may en- 
dure to the end, that they may be saved!”’ _ 

While on this mission he performed a marriage 
ceremony and preached his first funeral sermon. At 
Twelve Mile Grove he was instrumental in healing a 
Sister Leavitt’s daughter, who was near unto death. 
His time was mostly occupied in preaching, baptizing, 
confirming, and in comforting and counseling the 
Saints who had not yet ‘‘gathered’’ to the bosom of 
the Church. 

In his journal he wrote: ‘‘I delivered thirty public 
lectures that caused much excitement. Judges, doc- 
tors, and preachers invited me to their homes and made 
me more than welcome, while He in whom I trust be- 
stowed upon me the portion requisite to combat error, 
defend truth, and allay the prejudice of many minds.”’ 

He expressed the great pleasure it gave him to re- 
ceive letters from home. Of one such letter from his 
parents he said: ‘‘It was a soul-cheering epistle, like 
a pool of living water in a dreary land.’’ 

Concerning that mission, which lasted seven or 
eight months, he had this to say: ‘‘I felt justified, my 
testimony being sealed by signs following in a conspic- 
uous manner, although it was given in much weak- 
ness.’’ He felt the force of the sacred words, ‘Blessed 
are they who tremble under Thy power, for they shall 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 45 


utter words of praise,’ and added: ‘‘How shall I 
praise Thee aright, O God, for thy excellent great- 
ness? I pray Thee to bless my labors to the benefit of 
those on whom they were bestowed, and accept them at 
the hands of thy unworthy servant. And if I shall 
return, let me come in the strength of thy Spirit, I 
ask it in the name of thy Son.”’ 

In the early part of 1841 he returned to Nauvoo, 
did some preaching in that vicinity, and attended the 
Spring Conference of the Church. At this conference 
he was appointed to return and labor again in In- 
diana. Before his departure he witnessed the impres- 
sive ceremony connected with the laying of the corner 
stones of the Nauvoo Temple. His description of it 
follows: 

‘‘On the sixth of April, 1841, the Legion paraded, 
and the multitude formed a procession and surrounded 
the Temple Lot, where they listened to an oration from 
Elder Rigdon, at the close of which the corner stones 
of the Lord’s House were put in their several places. 
They were laid in the presence of about ten thousand 
persons, including the Legion, which made a very fine 
appearance. ‘The ceremonies of the day, as well as the 
beautiful weather, all conspired to make the hearts of 
true believers leap with joy, and rejoice in the Holy One 
of Israel. The blessings of that week of sitting under 
the inspired instructions of a Prophet of God, will not 
soon be forgotten. Oh that I could thoroughly appre- 
ciate the blessings I enjoy.’’ 

His second mission lasted but six months, during 
which time his health was very poor. The parents and 
family of his missionary companion, Robert Snyder— 


46 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


a thoughtful youth of much spiritual power—were very 
kind to him while he was bedfast at their home. Upon 
partially recovering, he accompanied them to Llinois. 
The date of his return to Nauvoo was the 12th of 
October. 

After five weeks of recuperation, he went on his 
third mission, starting November 18th, for Cincinnati, 
Ohio. His missionary companion this time was Phin- 
eas Young. They went by boat down the Mississippi 
River to St. Louis, and up the Ohio to Cincinnati, touch- 
ing at numerous points along the route. Passing down 
the Mississippi, the boat ran across a sand-bar, which 
delayed them several hours, but after united and vigor- 
ous exertions by officers, crew and engines, they 
‘‘weighed the last anchor’’ and ‘‘got under way rejoic- 
Ings; 

Elder Richards took every opportunity to inform 
himself regarding the beliefs of other churches, so that 
he might meet their arguments more effectively. On 
Christmas morning he attended the service of the Cath- 
olic church. Commenting thereon, he was led to say: 
‘‘How mournful to those who possess the true testi- 
mony of Jesus, to see their fellow mortals given up to 
such idolatry, while the rays of the Light of Heaven 
are proffered to them.’’ 

‘On the 30th of April,’’ says he, ‘‘I attended the 
Synagogue of the Jews, and truly it awakened the most 
sacred sympathies of my bosom to see the sons of Jacob 
in exile; a noble race suffering Jehovah’s wrath for 
the sins of their fathers, and yet so positive of the 
verity of Moses’ Law as to maintain the most rigid 
adherence to it that their situation would allow. Their 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 47 


mode of worship seemed quite crude, yet calculated to 
impress the mind with awe of Jacob’s God, and lead 
one to think of the days of their prosperity.”’ 

In a public argument with an infidel ‘‘on the points 
of materialism and the immortality of the soul,’’ he 
presented his case so effectively that the company 
hooted his antagonist for being defeated in discussion 
by a boy of twenty-one. 

He was warmly received by the best people where 
he labored. He waited upon Professor Curtis, the 
renowned ‘‘homsonian, at his lecture room, and re- 
ceived a polite introduction to the students in his class. 
After the lecture he accompanied the professor to his 
office, where they had a friendly interview upon the 
subject of his errand. He sold a copy of the ‘‘ Voice 
of Warning”’ to the Professor, and lent him the Book 
of Mormon. ‘The Professor presented his visitor with 
a copy of his lectures. 

Reviewing this mission Grandfather says: ‘‘It has 
been one of much care and burden of mind, that I might 
perform my labors to the satisfaction of my heavenly 
Master; and I can say in spirit and in truth, ‘What 
more could I have done to my vineyard?’ And yet it 
seems to be very sterile and loath to bear fruit. But 
we left about fifty-six Saints.’’ 

Leaving Ohio, he returned to Nauvoo, arriving 
there June 24, 1842. 

In December of that year he married, taking for 
a life companion, Miss Jane Snyder, concerning whom 
more will be said in the succeeding chapter, the present 
one being mainly devoted to the young Elder’s early 
missionary experiences. 


48 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


On May 17, 1844, he was ordained a High Priest, 
under the hands of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kim- 
ball, and Willard Richards—the future First Presi- 
dency—and four days later set off on his fourth mis- 
sion, with England as his ultimate destination. The 
plan was to do considerable preaching along the way. 
Three of the Apostles, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kim- 
ball, and Lyman Wight, with a few other brethren, 
traveled eastward at the same time. Says Franklin: 
‘‘T cannot do justice to the feelings of my heart, in ac- 
knowledgment of the tender mercies of the Lord in 
casting my lot in company with these brethren of the 
Twelve, on my way to perform this important mis- 
sion.’’ He visited Ohio with President Young, and 
was shown by him through the Kirtland Temple, after 
which they both addressed a meeting in the sacred 
house. His health again failed, but the Apostles (Kim- 
ball and Young) administered to him, and he soon 
recovered. 

On his way to the Atlantic seaboard, where he 
expected to embark for Liverpool, he preached, bap- 
tized and held conferences in different places, endear- 
ing himself to those among whom he labored, insomuch 
that some of the Saints wept when he left their homes. 
From Ohio he pushed on into New York State, going 
by way of Niagara Falls. He also visited the home of 
the Snyders in Canada. 

And now our narrative must return to Nauvoo, in 
order to preserve the sequence of events, the mention 
of which at this point would be premature. 


CHAPTER VI 
LIFE IN NAUVOO 


Marriage with Jane Snyder—Her Miraculous Healing and Conversion— 
Building a Home—The Prophet Kidnapped—Rescue and Return—First 
Child Born—Franklin Welcomes His Father to Nauvoo—Starts for Eng- 
land—Mission Postponed—The Prophet’s Mantle Upon President Young— 
In Michigan for the Nauvoo Temple—Assistant Church Historian—Plural 
Marriage—Elizabeth McFate Richards—Work on the Temple—Final Ordi- 
Nances. 

In the preceding chapter it was related that while 
on his second mission to Indiana, ‘Franklin D. Richards 
had as a traveling companion, Robert Snyder, and that 
during a spell of illness he was kindly cared for and 
nursed back to health at the Snyder parental home in 
La Porte. There he met Robert’s younger sister Jane, 
for whom he formed a tender attachment. 

The Snyder family, with two exceptions, had 
joined the Church while in Canada, and had reached 
La Porte on their way to Nauvoo, when they were 
counseled by the Church leaders to remain in Indiana 
for a time, because of unsettled conditions resulting 
from the persecutions in Missouri. ‘T'wo years later 
they removed to Illinois, settling on Job Creek, near 
La Harpe, in Hancock County. 

Elder Richards accompanied them, and thence- 
forth was a frequent visitor at La Harpe, where he 
enjoyed the society of those who had once fostered 
him in the hour of sickness and distress. ‘‘These 
visits,’’ said he, ‘‘resulted in obtaining the consent 
of those concerned to my changing from single to matri- 
monial life. November 5th, I called at their residence, 


4 


50 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


and before I left arranged the preliminaries for the 
celebration of our wedding.’’ 

He and Jane Snyder were married December 18, 
1842, Elder Samuel Snyder, brother to the bride and 
president of the Job Creek Branch, performing the 
ceremony at their father’s home. This was before the 
Nauvoo Temple was completed. They were afterwards 
sealed in the House of the Lord. 

Jane Snyder was born January 31, 1823, in Pa- 
melia, Jefferson County, New York. She was the 
daughter of Isaac Snyder and his wife, Lovisa Com- 
stock. Her father was a prosperous farmer and stock- 
raiser who, though exemplary in life, was not a mem- 
ber of any church until he joined the Latter-day Saints. 
Her mother was a devout Methodist. Jane was one 
of the younger of eleven children. The entire family 
except Jane and her brother Jesse, had embraced the 
Gospel in Canada. 

Jane’s conversion was quite unusual. It occurred 
at La Porte in January, 1840, when she was seventeen 
years of age. Always practical, firm-willed and inde- 
pendent, she did not see at first the need for her to be 
baptized. Of course, she did not consider herself per- 
fect, but felt that there was no real offense that called 
for her repentance. During the winter of 1839-40 she 
had a very serious illness, nearly resulting in her 
death. She was paralyzed and lost the power of 
speech, but through the prayers and administrations 
of members of her family, she regained the use of her 
vocal organs. While lying ill and speechless, the 
thought came to her, like a flash from the other world, 
‘The great Redeemer was baptized—am I better than 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 51 


He?”’ From that moment she was filled with an ir- 
repressible desire for baptism. 

But it was winter, and her parents wished her to 
wait until spring, the ice on Lake La Porte being two 
feet thick. So persistent were her entreaties, however, 
that it was decided to have it done without delay, al- 
though she was still confined to her bed. The idea of 
immersing a sick woman in the icy waters of the lake 
was horrifying to the people, and a big crowd gathered 
to prevent the ceremony, but proceedings went on just 
the same. A large square hole was cut in the ice, 
Robert Snyder let himself down into the opening, and 
his brother George assisted Jane into the water. With- 
out a tremor she was then and there, ‘‘buried with 
Christ by baptism.”’ 

Immediately upon coming out of the water she 
bore testimony to the truth of ‘‘Mormonism.’’ She 
then said in a loud, firm voice, ‘‘I want to say to all you 
people who have come out to see me baptized, that I 
do it of my own free will and choice, and if you inter- 
fere with the man who has baptized me, God will 
interfere with you.’’ Elder Snyder was not molested. 
His sister, instead of being injured, was miraculously 
healed by the sacred ordinance. 

For more than ten years Franklin had not possessed 
what might be called a home. At the age of ten he had 
left the parental roof to find employment, and since 
then, owing to his travels and removals from place to 
place, he had had no permanent abode. His senti- 
ments on getting married can therefore be readily 
understood: ‘‘I felt that it was the beginning of a 


52 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


new stage in the journey of my life; that I had entered 
upon a new phase of experience. Hitherto, for four 
years, I had been like a bubble upon the mighty ocean, 
tossed to and fro, having no permanent abiding place. 
This new relationship, which I had formed with her, 
my faithful companion and partner, was the source of 
true happiness and solid comfort. I no longer felt 
myself a stranger, doubting whether I was welcome or 
in someone’s way, but in a goodly degree realized the 
blessings of a home, also of a bosom companion to 
share all my joys and sorrows and afford me an asy- 
lum from the turmoils without. Enjoying a home, I 
felt an unspeakable pleasure, which was rendered su- 
perlative by the fact that I was living in the midst of 
the Saints in Nauvoo. In fact, I felt more like a man— 
like a son of God.”’ 

Two days after the wedding the young couple 
moved to Nauvoo, and began housekeeping im a part of 
Brother Philo T. Farnsworth’s home. 

On his return from Indiana Franklin had purchased, 
for the sum of twenty-five dollars, a lot in the eastern 
part of Nauvoo, known as the Warrington Addition. 
It was Lot 4 of Block 35, situated on the south side of 
Young Street. Half of this lot he traded for two thou- 
sand brick. Kencing the remaining portion, he put in 
a garden, and broke ground for the cellar of his new 
home. He also engaged in cutting grass on the prairie. 
One day the Patriarch Hyrum Smith gave him a ride 
out to his work, and having observed that his health 
was poor, put his hands on his head and blessed him 
that his condition might improve. The blessing was 
realized. He succeeded in ‘‘curing’’ sixteen tons of 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 53 


hay, part of which he exchanged for rock for his cellar, 
and also exchanged a cow for lumber. 

His journal contains the following item, also of 
record in Church history, but none the less interesting 
as here told by an eye witness of the incident described: 

‘On Friday, June 23, 1848, while the Prophet Jo- 
seph was on a visit to his wife’s sister, Mrs. Wasson, at 
Rock River, Sheriff Reynolds of Missouri and Con- 
stable Wilson of Illinois arrested him and tried forcibly 
to take him to Missouri; but they were thwarted in their 
plans. When the news reached Nauvoo, about one hun- 
dred and seventy-five men, under Generals Hand and 
Rich set off to the rescue. Great excitement prevailed. 
On Friday, the 30th, about 10 a. m. a messenger arrived 
with the word that Joseph was between Nauvoo and the 
Big Mound, whereupon the Nauvoo brass band, Broth- 
er Hyrum, Sister Emma, and many other citizens, went 
out to meet him, myself among the number. We met 
Brother Joseph and his escort, consisting of about fifty 
mounted men, a four-horse stage and a baggage wagon, 
and I noted the deep gloom that overspread his counte- 
nance. His unshaven face was covered with dust, 
which arose in such clouds as to almost, at times, hide 
him from view. ‘The citizens received the company 
on double column with ‘‘front face,’’ and fell in at the 
rear. The crowd became very large as it passed down 
Young Street, and cheered vociferously. The scene 
was sublime and heart-melting, so general was the 
expression of sympathy and good feeling for the man 
of God. The procession accompanied him to his dwell- 
ing, where he dismissed them with a promise to speak 


54 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


at four o’clock from the stand. This called forth the 
people of Nauvoo en masse.”’ 

The Prophet addressed them at the appointed time, 
giving the particulars of his unlawful arrest and de- 
tention. He was still a prisoner in the hands of Rey- 
nolds and Wilson, and they were under arrest by the 
sheriff of Lee County, Iowa, charged with false im- 
prisonment and threats of violence. Habeas corpus pro- 
ceedings delivered the Prophet from his captors, and 
the would-be kidnappers, also released, retired crest- 
fallen. 

On the 2nd of November, 1843, a babe was born to 
Franklin and Jane Richards—their first child. She 
was a bright and beautiful girl, and was named 
Wealthy Lovisa, after both her grandmothers. 

On November 19th, Franklin’s father arrived at 
Nauvoo, accompanied by his family. Needless to say, 
it was a happy reunion, for they had been separated for 
five years. Father and son united in completing a 
home into which both families moved; the attic serving 
as a work-shop. The house was hearing completion 
when the young husband was told by President Young 
to prepare for a mission to England, and to start as 
soon as his house was finished. 

Obedient to counsel, in the spring of 1844 he de- 
parted upon his mission—the one referred to in the 
previous chapter. He felt keenly the separation from 
his loved ones. On June 1st he wrote: ‘‘Spent the 
afternoon writing a letter to my beloved wife.’’ On 
another occasion: ‘‘Dreamed of seeing my beloved 
Jane, in good spirits, well and happy, pleasing and 
witty, as I have seen her so many times.’’ At this period 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 55 


he composed a number of short poems, most of them 
dealing with his home life. Here is one of them: 
O God, extend thine arms of love 
Around the partner of my heart, 
Since Thou hast spoken from above 
And called me with my all to part. 

This mission was shortened most unexpectedly. 
He had all but reached the Atlantic seaboard, where 
he expected to embark for England, and was preach- 
ing in the state of New York on July 27th, when he 
received word from Nauvoo of the martyrdom of the 
Prophet and the Patriarch. The dreadful news was just 
one month old, the tragedy having occurred on the 27th 
of June. All members of the High Priesthood, particu- 
larly those having families at or near Nauvoo, were 
instructed to return immediately to headquarters. Thus 
was postponed the projected foreign mission. The jour- 
ney back was by water to Detroit, and by land through 
Indiana and Illinois. Elder Richards reached Nauvoo 
on the 2nd of October. He had traveled while away 
four thousand three hundred and fifty miles, had 
preached thirty-five times, and baptized thirteen con- 
verts. 

Those were trying times at Nauvoo. The beloved 
Prophet had passed beyond, and for a short season 
there was some uncertainty as to who should be his 
successor. ‘The mobs, unpunished for the crimes they 
had committed, were emboldened to continue their 
depredations, and the Saints were on the point of 
again being driven from their homes. Fifty of the 
brethren, all High Priests, were sent into the neigh- 
boring states to explain the situation at Nauvoo, and 


56 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


to urge members of the Church to send in tithing, 
donations and supplies, to succor those in need and to 
help finish the Temple then in course of erection. The 
workmen had been urged to hasten it to completion, so 
that certain ordinances might. be performed there be- 
fore the people were driven out. All the Saints were 
counseled to gather at Nauvoo. 

While her husband was away, Jane Richards at- 
tended the special conference held August 8, 1844, 
where President Brigham Young stood transfigured 
before the congregation, as related in Church history. 
Grandmother was an eye-witness to that marvelous 
manifestation. Sitting in the congregation with her 
infant child in her arms, she had bent over to pick up a 
small plaything, dropped by her little daughter, when 
President Young uttered the first words of his address. 
His voice was that of the Prophet. On hearing it she 
was so startled that. she let fall the article she had just 
taken from the floor, and looking up beheld the form 
and features of the martyred seer. 

It was the Lord’s way of pointing out the Prophet’s 
true successor. Elder Sidney Rigdon had been Joseph’s 
first counselor, but had lost the spirit of the work and 
the confidence of his president and the people. 
He was residing in Pennsylvania, but upon hearing of 
the death of Joseph and Hyrum, returned to Nauvoo to 
present his claim to the leadership. This he did at that 
special conference, speaking at length and endeavoring 
to convince the Saints that he was the right man to be 
the guardian of the Church. He failed to so impress 
them. This was at the morning session. In the afternoon 
the people again assembled, the quorums of the Priest- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 57 


hood were arranged in their proper order, and Brigham 
Young, President of the Twelve Apostles, arose to ad- 
dress them. Then occurred the remarkable incident 
described. It remains but to say that Brigham Young 
and his brethren of the Twelve were unanimously sus- 
tained by the people as the rightful Presidency of 
the Church. 

Elder Richards’ next mission was largely of a tem- 
poral character. He was sent into the state of Mich- 
igan to gather means for the Nauvoo Temple. On 
January 12, 1845, he rode away on a horse furnished by 
Jesse Snyder, and for several weeks braved the cold of 
a very severe winter, riding almost constantly. By the 
3rd of April, the date of his return to Nauvoo, he had 
traveled over a thousand miles. His errand was quite 
successful. He obtained a wagon, some cattle and sheep 
valued at one hundred and seventy-five dollars, and 
three hundred dollars in cash—no small sum consider- 
ing the high purchasing power of a dollar at that time. 
This was his last mission in the United States. 

After his return home he was called by his uncle 
Willard Richards, the Church Historian, to assist him 
in his office. He began this labor August 1, 1845. His 
work consisted in copying Church history into Book C 
of the large Church record. 

Owing to the fact that the Nauvoo Temple was not 
completed at the time of their marriage, the ceremony 
uniting Franklin and Jane Richards as husband and 
wife was not performed there, but at the home of the 
bride’s father, as before stated. Now that the Temple 
was hearing completion, marriages could be solemnized 


58 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


within its sacred precincts, and they were sealed by 
Apostle Heber C. Kimball, January 23, 1846. 

Hight days later, in accordance with the ‘‘Revela- 
tion on the Eternity of the Marriage Covenant, in- 
cluding Plurality of Wives’’—a revelation accepted by 
Franklin and his wife as divine—he married Miss 
Elizabeth McFate, a very sweet and lovable young 
lady. Of this event he says: ‘‘ Brother James McFate 
presented me his daughter Elizabeth, and Jane gave 
her to me at the altar; the ordinance was then passed 
upon us by President Brigham Young.”’ 

Elizabeth was born in Mahoning, Mercer County, 
Pennsylvania, October 28, 1829. She had an amiable 
and noble nature and quickly endeared herself to the 
family of which she now became a member. 

The carpenter work on the Temple needed every 
available skilled hand, and Franklin toiled daily and 
late into the night, through the spring of 1846, as car- 
penter, joiner and painter, in the lower main court of 
the edifice, until the structure was completed and dedi- 
cated. When he received payment for this work, he 
returned half of it to the Church. He participated in 
the dedication of the Temple and assisted in the ordi- 
nance work. Every evening at sunset he attended 
prayer circle in Room One. On February 8, 1846, he 
took part in the last ordinances performed in that 
sacred place. 

Grandmother Richards also spent considerable 
time working in the Temple. She had become well ac- 
quainted with the Prophet, and was a member of the 
Relief Society organized by him in Nauvoo. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 59 


During those crucial times Grandfather frequently 
entered prayers such as these in his journal: 

‘‘T pray Thee, O God the Eternal Father, to en- 
able me to see thy love, and may I never distrust or 
reproach thy holy cause. May I enjoy a large portion 
of thy goodness while here in the flesh, and be ad- 
mitted to the blessing of thy glory.’’ 

‘*Heavenly Father, I pray that all the afflictions 
of thy people may serve to purify them and make them 
mete for thy presence.’’ 

‘‘Do Thou, O God, open unto us a door of deliver- 
ance, that salvation may come to us, in the glory of thy 
exalted name.”’ 


CHAPTER VII 
THE EXODUS 


Where now shall fancy’s roving pinion rest? 

’Mid barren regions of the boundless West, 

Where silvery streams through silent valleys flow 

From mountains crested with eternal snow; 

Where reigns no creed a rival creed to bind, 

Where exiled faith a resting place shall find, 

Where builds the eagle on the beetling height, 

And wings o’er freedom’s hills unfearing flight. 
—Whitney. 


Nauvoo in 1846—Expulsion of the Saints from Illinois—The Mormon 
Battalion—Death of Joseph W. Richards—Franklin Sends his Family West— 
His First Foreign Mission—Hardships and Sorrows of the Exodus—Jane 
Richards’ Patient Endurance—Death of Isaac, Wealthy and Elizabeth—At 
Liverpool—A Missionary’s Solicitude for His Absent Family. 

Nauvoo was founded in 1839. The city was chart- 
ered, a beautiful temple built, hundreds of happy homes 
created, and the ‘‘ Nauvoo Legion”’ organized as a pro- 
tection for the Saints against the violence of mobs. 
Among those who voted for the Nauvoo charter, when 
the bill for it was pending in the Uhnois legislature was 
Abraham Lincoln, a representative from Springfield 
in that state. Franklin D. Richards saw the town grow 
until it became the foremost city of Illinois, Chicago 
not excepted, with a population of approximately 
twenty thousand. 

As in New York, Ohio and Missouri, and for large- 
ly the same reasons, persecution arose in and around 
Nauvoo, increasing and intensifying until it culminated 
in the murder of the Prophet and the Patriarch and the 
expulsion of the Saints from Illinois. 

Where now could they go? Driven from city to 
city and from state to state, where could they find a 
haven of peace, a place of refuge? Every state in the 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 61 


Union was appealed to, but only one of them—Arkan- 
sas—answered by a respectful and sympathetic epistle 
from its governor, the petition of the homeless and per- 
secuted ‘‘Mormons.’’ ‘‘Go to Oregon,’’ some said; 
and others recommended California or an island of the 
sea, as a home for the outcast community. But Joseph 
Smith, the mouthpiece of God, had prophesied, two 
years before his death, that the Saints ‘‘would be 
driven to the Rocky Mountains”’ and would there ‘‘be- 
come a mighty people.’’ To the Rocky Mountains, 
therefore, they wended their way. 

The Exodus began early in 1846. Snow was on 
the ground, the Mississippi was frozen over, and some 
of the wagons crossed the river on the ice. Later the 
ereeks were high and the roads soft and miry. The 
Church leaders held a council on Sugar creek, Iowa, and 
organized the people into companies, making rules 
for their guidance and appointing officers to direct 
them. Between the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers 
temporary settlements were formed and crops put in 
to be reaped by those who followed the first companies. 
One of these prairie settlements was Garden Grove, 
one hundred and forty-five miles from Nauvoo, and an- 
other, Mount Pisgah, twenty-seven miles farther west. 
The head wagon train, under President Brigham 
Young, reached the Missouri River about the middle 
of June. 

The original plan was to leave the main body of the 
Saints at that point, and while the remnants were 
collecting there and at the encampments in the rear, to 
have a picked number of men push forward that season 
and explore the western country for a place of perma- 


62 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


nent settlement. This plan was interrupted by the call 
of the government for five hundred ‘‘Mormon’’ volun- 
teers, to assist in the war against Mexico, then in 
progress. 

In answer to this call the required number 
of men promptly enlisted, and were equipped at Fort 
Leavenworth for the long and wearisome tramp to the 
Pacific coast. The Mormon Battalion, as it is known, 
made its way over trackless plains, deserts and moun- 
tains, via Santa Fe, New Mexico, to San Diego, Califor- 
nia, a distance of two thousand miles. It was said by 
the Battalion’s commander, Colonel Philip St. George 
Cooke, of the regular army, to be the greatest infantry 
march on record. 

Joseph W. Richards, Franklin’s younger brother, 
had enlisted as a musician. The march was so stren- 
uous that at Santa Fe, one hundred and forty-three 
of the volunteers were invalided and sent to Pueblo 
for the winter. Joseph, only seventeen years of age, 
was one of this number. At that outpost, on November 
19, 1846, he passed away, without again seeing his 
relatives. 

The following eloquent tribute to the memory of 
the young soldier is taken from Tullidge’s Quarterly 
Magazine: 

‘‘James Ferguson, himself sergeant-major of the 
Battalion, in a lecture delivered before an assembly 
of Elders, including the Presidency of the European 
Mission, in Liverpool, England, November 7, 1855, 
speaks thus of Brother Joseph William Richards’ en- 
listment, travels, virtues, and the patriotism of his aged 
and feeble mother: 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 63 


‘* “But few knew the sacrifice it cost. There was 
one scene that was particularly touching. An aged 
mother to whom the call of the government and the 
wish of the President were made known came forward, 
She had five sons—one was murdered and now lay 
buried deep and unavenged in the tragic well in Mis- 
souri. Two were in a foreign land, preaching the faith 
for which their brother’s blood was shed; one was still 
too young to administer, but needed care and comfort; 
the other was a young man, the sentinel and protector 
of her tottering steps. Even in her aged heart, with- 
ered and broken as it was, the love of country burned 
deep and strong. She yielded up her son and never 
saw him more. J knew him well. We marched side by 
side. He had been worn down by the bitterness and 
exposure of many persecutions. But Joseph Richards 
was noble, generous and brave, and never complained.’ 

‘* “Sister Celia Hunt, who often took him nourish- 
ment and said comforting words to him, giving him the 
last food he ever ate, a few hours before his death, 
speaks of him as among the most noble young men she 
ever knew. He never complained of his lot.’ ”’ 

C. C. Roe, another comrade in the Battalion, writing 
to Joseph’s brother Franklin, says: 

‘¢<The Battalion left Point Pool, on the Missouri 
River, on the 24th day of July, 1846, and marched 
to Fort Leavenworth on foot, without tents or shelter 
of any kind, sleeping on the ground, which was some- 
times saturated with rain and heavy dews. Some 
rain storms fell upon us while thus sleeping under the 
open canopy of the heavens. At Fort Leavenworth 
Joseph William Richards took sick, doubtless from 


64 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


exposure on the road. When the command left the 
garrison he remained in the hospital, unable to be 
moved. By kind treatment and medical aid he was 
soon able to be forwarded, and overtook us at Council 
Grove. From this time his health fluctuated. When 
the Battalion was divided by order of Lieutenant A. J. 
Smith, and the stronger portion put on a forced march 
to be in Santa Fe in time to cross the mountains to 
California the same fall, he, being stronger than usual, 
was selected as one of them. When I arrived with the 
invalids I found Joseph again prostrated, so far at 
least that he was considered unfit to attempt to cross 
the mountains and deserts to California. As my health 
increased his seemed to fail, and as we had been very 
much attached from the beginning, he placed himself 
entirely inmy care. On the sad night of his departure, 
while I was endeavoring, at his request, to render him 
some assistance, after grasping me with a hug which 
almost took my breath, he gradually sank down and in 
a few moments expired in my arms without a struggle 
or groan, but quietly passed away like a child going to 
sleep.’ ”’ 

Returning now ‘to the Saints on the Missouri. 
Many of them had crossed to the west side of the river, 
where they built a settlement named Winter Quarters 
(now Florence, Nebraska), five miles above the present 
site of Omaha. It was laid out into streets and blocks, 
and soon contained seven hundred log houses and pub- 
lic buildings and four thousand inhabitants, all forti- 
fied in frontier fashion. Wards and stakes were 
organized on both sides of the river. 

From Winter Quarters in April, 1847, went forth 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 65 


the Pioneers, who, on July 24th, entered the Valley of 
the Great Salt Lake and began the building of a settle- 
ment, the first one established in the region of the 
Rocky Mountains. This done, the ‘pioneer leaders 
rejoined their people on the Iowa frontier. 

The Richards family remained at Nauvoo several 
months after most of the people had evacuated the 
mob-threatened city. Leaving under the threat of 
mob violence, they virtually gave away their property, 
and started without adequate provision for the hard 
journey ahead, the length of which they knew not. 
Grandmother Richards sold her feather bed for a dress 
pattern for herself and her little daughter and two 
pounds of wool. Valuable as this bed would have been 
on their long, rough journey, she needed clothing 
more. Said her husband: ‘‘I accepted the offer of two 
yoke of oxen, a wagon, a jack screw, a chain and a whip, 
the whole valued at not to exceed one hundred and 
twenty-five dollars, in exchange for a two-story brick 
house, and an acre of ground which my neighbors a 
year ago considered worth five hundred dollars.’’ These 
figures may be better understood when it is known that 
a dollar then was worth about ten times its present 
value, a man’s labor returning but seventy-five cents 
per day. He said further: ‘‘If I am prospered in 
borrowing money I may buy provisions and make re- 
pairs on the wagon, so that my family may have the 
prospect of going into the wilderness without suffering. 
On June 10, 1846, about sunset, we bade adieu to our 
little home in Nauvoo.”’ 

Next day he crossed the river. After ferrying over 
his family and traveling equipment, he made camp on 


5 


66 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


a small hill about a mile from Nauvoo, in the river 
bottoms near Montrose, Iowa. His wife’s mother and 
brothers Chester and Jesse were also encamped there. 
They remained in tents, while he returned, several 
times to the beleaguered town, to assist in its defense. 
He repaired and painted his wagon, drove one yoke of 
oxen to try them, and proceeded to break in the other 
yoke. One night they strayed from camp and he had 
considerable difficulty in recovering them, they having 
roamed to Sugar Creek, nine miles distant. 

As already shown, Franklin D. Richards had 
started on a mission to England, and had gone as far 
as New York State when he was recalled to Nauvoo. 
Owing to the disturbed condition of affairs, it was 
about a year and a half before it was deemed advisable 
for him to again undertake that mission. In the mean- 
time the migration of the Saints had been forced upon 
them, and it became imperative for him to see that his 
family was provided with the necessary food, clothing 
and means of transportation for the journey. This he 
did, accompanying them as far as Sugar Creek, where 
he left them out of the reach of enemies, in the hands 
of relatives and friends, and as comfortably provided 
for as he could possibly make them. On July 3rd he 
committed his loved ones to the protecting care of Di- 
vine Providence, and turned his face sadly yet reso- 
lutely toward the East, without money and scantily 
clothed, to make his way across continent and ocean 
into a strange land. 

We will part with him long enough to follow the 
little party that he left behind, on its dreary journey to 
Council Bluffs. Their traveling outfit consisted of an 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 67 


old covered wagon drawn by oxen, and they were sup- 
plied with a tent, and with sufficient clothing, provi- 
sions and cooking utensils. Philo T. Farnsworth was 
their teamster, and was a kind, true and faithful friend, 
and that friendship endured through life and into 
the world beyond. He and Grandfather Richards had 
worked together on the Temple. In Utah Brother 
Farnsworth became one of the stalwart leaders of the 
people in the southern part of the Territory. 

The hardships of the journey were greatly in- 
ereased for Grandmother Richards, since she was 
about to become a mother. At one point a pair of 
unruly steers yoked to her wagon ran away. ‘For sev- 
eral minutes consternation reigned. The infuriated 
beasts dashed wildly on, imperiling the lives of those in 
the vehicle. The mother had just imprinted a farewell 
kiss on the cheek of her little daughter prior to dropping 
her out of the wagon, regardless of what might happen 
to herself, when the animals were suddenly stopped in 
their mad career by some unseen power, and the threat- 
ened calamity was thus averted. 

Twenty days after leaving Sugar Creek she gave 
birth to a son, her second child, whom she named for 
her father. Isaac; but the babe had barely opened its 
eyes upon this world when it was summoned to the 
spirit land. The picture of this homeless pilgrim moth- 
er, lying helpless in her wagon on the broad, lonely 
prairie, her dead babe on her breast, and her husband 
a thousand miles away, was pitiful enough to melt a 
heart of stone. But, alas! some hearts seem harder 
than stone. A midwife had been summoned from a 
house five miles back to wait upon the sick woman. 


68 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


‘‘Are you prepared to pay me?’’ was her brusque in- 
quiry, after briefly performing the functions of her 
office. ‘‘If it were to save my life,’’ answered the suf- 
ferer faintly, ‘‘I could not give you any money, for I 
have none; but if you see anything you want, take it.” 
Thereupon the woman seized a beautiful woolen bed- 
spread, worth about fifteen dollars. ‘‘I may as well 
take it, for you’ll never live to need it,’’ was her heart- 
less remark as she disappeared, leaving the sick mother 
and dead child to their fate. 

An entry in the diary of Phinehas Richards, her 
father-in-law, reads: 

‘“We traveled day by day through winds, rain, hail, 
flies and mosquitoes, until we came to Mt. Pisgah, 
about 4 p.m. on Sunday, August 2nd—found the Saints 
sick in almost every house. Monday the 3rd—Hrank- 
lin’s family came in from the east all sick, with Jane’s 
infant son a corpse. I attended them as well as I could 
under the circumstances. Tuesday—buried the child 
in the burying place at Mt. Pisgah, near a tree.’’ 

At this very time Grandmother’s only remaining 
child, little Wealthy, not yet three years old, was lying 
sick, having been stricken with disease just after they 
left Sugar Creek. As they approached the Missouri 
River she gradually grew weaker and weaker. She had 
scarcely eaten anything for a month or more. She was 
very fond of potatoes, and one day while passing a farm 
in the midst of a fine field of these vegetables, hearing 
them mentioned, she asked for one. Her Grandmother 
Snyder proceeded to the house, and from a woman 
standing in the doorway, sought to buy a potato for the 
sick child. ‘‘I wouldn’t sell or give one of you Mor- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 69 


mons a potato to save your life,’’ was the woman’s 


brutal reply. She had even set her dog upon Sister 
Snyder when she first saw her approaching. When. 
Wealthy was told of the incident she said, ‘‘Never 
mind, Mama, she’s a wicked woman, isn’t she? We 
wouldn’t do that to her, would we?’’ 

The party reached the Missouri River about the 
first of September and were received and treated with 
great kindness by President Young, Dr. Willard Rich- 
ards and other Church leaders. Wealthy died on the 
14th of September, and was buried at Cutler’s Park, a 
little west of the river. 

Those were heart-rending days for Jane Richards. 
She was now childless, and felt almost husbandless. In 
the midst of extreme poverty, the state of her health 
was such that during the twenty-one months that she 
sojourned at Winter Quarters, her life trembled in the 
balance. She was a typical ‘‘ Mormon’’ woman, and her 
experience was similar to that of many others during 
this painful period. President Young remarked to her: 
‘*Tt shall be said of you, that you have come up through 
much tribulation.’’ 

The main subject of this memoir, reaching New 
York City, there met Orson Pratt just from the fron- 
tier, who informed him of Jane’s illness and the death 
of her babe. When Brother Pratt saw her, on August 
15th, she was just able to ride again and was on the way 
to Council Bluffs. Deeply moved, the young husband 
immediately wrote to his wife, and then purchased and 
sent her a work box, with a primer for his little daugh- 
ter, of whose death he was unaware. 

The first night after landing in Liverpool, he made 


70 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


this entry in his journal: ‘‘How comfortable I could be 
if I knew that my dear Jane and the family were well 
and happy.’’ On the birthday anniversary of his 
daughter he wrote, ‘‘Today my little daughter 
Wealthy, if she lives, is three years old. May her life 
and health be precious in thy sight, O Lord.’’ 

A stormy Sunday—November 22nd—inspired 
these reflections: ‘‘I have.felt very solicitous about 
my family yesterday and today. While the cold wintry 
winds are howling about me, I wonder if they are shel- 
tered from the still more piercing winds of the cold, 
bleak prairies. O Lord, my Heavenly Father, I en- 
treat Thee, do not leave them to suffer, but mercifully 
order their way before them; let their lives and their 
health be precious in thy sight, that they may live 
long to experience much of thy goodness and glory on 
the earth among the children of Zion, for we have given 
ourselves as living sacrifices to thy cause. Be pleased 
to accept this offering at our hands, and grant us an 
answer of peace! JI ask it in the name of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Amen.’’ 

A similar entry was made early in 1847. Again 
addressing Deity, his soul poured out this prayer: 
‘“Wilt Thou be merciful and gracious unto my mother 
and father and all their household, and preserve them 
in life and health in the enjoyment of Thy good Spirit 
* * * Bless, I pray Thee, the wives of my bosom, 
and all my family, with health, love and peace. Pour 
out upon them thy Holy Spirit that they may endure 
their privations and pass through all their changes 
with godly patience and forbearance.”’ 

Those were days of anxiety and sorrow. His 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 71 


brother George had been slain at Haun’s Mill; his 
brother Samuel, who had accompanied him to England, 
lay sick with smallpox in Scotland; and his family and 
friends were enduring privation and hardship on the 
western plains. As though this were not enough to 
try him, word now came of the death of his wife Eliza- 
beth, at Winter Quarters, March 29, 1847; of his 
brother Joseph at Pueblo; and of the protracted illness 
and death of his daughter Wealthy, at Cutler’s Park. 
He was further informed of the wonderful patience 
with which his wife Jane bore these great afflictions. 
The contemplation of her multiplhed sorrows and cares 
—her own illness, the loss of her children and the death 
of her sister wife, whom Jane dearly loved, and who 
had been very kind and considerate to her all along— 
filled his heart with poignant grief. Through all, his 
faith and trust in the Lord remained unshaken, as 
witness these humble and heroic words: 

‘‘T hope to overcome every obstacle and be not a 
whit behind the chiefest of my brethren in the celestial 
kingdom of God, having kept my covenants and being 
sanctified thereby; and not myself only, but all those 
who belong to me. I feel deeply sensible that there 
is no man so high or so low in the eternal covenant of 
the Priesthood, but, if he would enjoy the blessings 
of the covenant, he must also pass under the rod. Am 
I such a sinner that the Lord should take from me 
my two children, or cause me or my family to be af- 
flicted as we have been during our absence from each 
other? Still we seem to feel the chastisement of the 
Lord, who suffered the adversary of our souls to afflict 
us. Father, I own thy dealings just; thy blessings 


72 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


have been more than my deserts; and do I not know 
that thy goodness never fails? I have feared that I 
should feel Thy hand against me. But now I trust 
that in this also Thou wilt reveal thy hidden stores of 
goodness and blessings, to counterpoise the deep sor- 
row of separation from my dear companions and tender 
babes. Oh, for a proper frame of mind with which to 
encounter every transitory providence of this mortal 
life, and lay by such stores of knowledge and experience 
as shall qualify me for every trial through which I must 
pass. I thank Thee for it all, and may we be the objects 
of thy eternal favor as hitherto, and more abundantly, 
and thy great name be glorified thereby. Oh, grant 
me and mine continually the gracious influence and 
faithful protection of the Holy Spirit, and the honor 
thereof shall be Thine forever.”’ 


CHAPTER VIII | 
IN THE BRITISH MISSION 


How that Field was Opened—The Richards Family in Missionary Work 
—Franklin’s First Sea Voyage—In Charge of the Scottish Branches— 
Counselor to President Orson Spencer—Famine in Britain—Dreams of His 
Call to the Apostleship—Conducts the First Company of! British Saints 
Bound for the Rocky Mountains—The Ocean Journey—Quelling the 
Tempest—Kind Acts of Officers on Board—A Prosperous Voyage. 

The British Mission had been opened in the sum- 
mer of 1837, by Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde, two 
of the Twelve Apostles, with Elder Willard Richards 
and other brethren associated. The British Isles 
proved a very fruitful field for conversions. In less 
than a year from the day they landed at Liverpool, 
these zealous missionaries brought upwards of fifteen 
hundred persons into the fold—and their labors were in 
-Hngland alone. During the eighty years that followed, 
about seventy-five thousand souls, the greater part 
of them converted in Britain, were baptized into the 
Church and gathered to the Land of Zion. 

The Richards family has played a very prominent 
part both in preaching and presiding in the British and 
European missions. Franklin himself, his uncles Wil- 
lard and Levi, his brother Samuel W., and his son 
George F., were all either presidents or in the presi- 
dency of one or both of these missions. Needless to 
say, the position is one of high honor and trust, with 
great responsibility attaching thereto. Franklin spent 
ten years, Willard four, Levi seven, Samuel nine, and 
George F. practically three years, in this great mis- 
sion field. Franklin’s missionary service in America 


7a FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


and in Kurope aggregates more than thirteen years, 
and that of his brother Samuel sixteen years. Their 
children and grandchildren have also materially con- 
tributed to the good work in these same scenes of labor. 

Edward W. Tullidge, writing of the British Mis- 
sion, in which he once figured, says: ‘‘And so also the 
historian can tell of tens of thousands of souls sent over 
to this country from Great Britain under the admin- 
istration of Franklin D. Richards and his brother 
Samuel.’’ 

‘‘The Richardses were among the founders of the 
British Mission; under them it reached the zenith of 
its glory, and under them the ‘Mormon’ emigrations 
erew to such proportions and perfection that Samuel 
W. Richards was invited by the British government, 
before a committee of the House of Commons, to ex- 
pound the splendid emigration system which the ‘ Mor- 
mons’ had constructed.’’ 

It was July 3, 1846, when ‘Franklin D. and Samuel 
W. Richards left Sugar Creek, on the west side of the 
Mississippi River, bound for Liverpool, the headquar- 
ters of the British Mission. The two Elders crossed 
the river to Nauvoo and slept there the first night in a 
deserted building. From there they traveled by way of 
the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to Pittsburg, and then 
across the mountains to the Atlantic coast. 

Before sailing they revisited their old home at 
Richmond, Massachusetts, and enjoyed meeting again 
with their relatives and old-time friends. Franklin 
also visited branches of the Church in Philadelphia, 
and in Wilmington, Delaware, and held _ several 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 75 


meetings in New York, baptizing a number of persons 
in the Kast River. 

They sailed from New York September 2ist, on 
board the ‘‘Queen of the West.’’ The party consisted 
of Parley P. Pratt, Franklin D. Richards, Samuel W. 
Richards, Moses Martin and Cyrus H. Wheelock. This 
was before the use of the steam engine in the propelling 
of ships. The ‘‘Queen of the West’’ was a typical gail- 
ing vessel, plying back and forth across the Atlantic 
under the force of the wind against its sails. 

It was Franklin’s first sea voyage, and though 
sick much of the time, he enjoyed the ocean and the 
storms on the mighty waters. His description of his 
experience is quite eloquent. It follows: 

‘The approach of the tempest caused the sailors 
to take in the royals, top gallants, foresails, spanker 
and flying jib, and sail the ship under standing sailing 
jib, foremain and mizzen sails. The wind was broad 
and heavy on the larboard beam and the waves were 
so boisterous that they appeared, as in a convulsion 
of laughter, to carelessly spill barrels of briny water 
over the bulwarks of the upper deck. 

‘‘Sunday, October 4, 1846. The wind was from the 
southwest most of the day and increased toward night. 
I kept my berth all day until about seven o’clock in 
the evening, when the brethren told me we were ex- 
periencing a regular gale. This announcement so ani- 
mated me that I immediately dressed and went on deck, 
where I beheld a scene supremely grand. 

‘The captain and his mate were both in water- 
proof suits, each with a speaking trumpet passing or- 


76 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


ders to the men. They could scarcely make themselves 
heard from one mast to another, so loud had the tem- 
pest now become. It was a scene of terrific grandeur, 
such as I had longed to behold. The winds, howling 
through the rigging, made music on as many different 
notes as there were ropes of different sizes and lengths, 
and seemed, by their melody, to move the clouds in 
Jehu-like velocity, with their stirring strains. The 
sea seemed to catch the enthusiasm and become en- 
wrapped in an ecstasy of joy. The winds and the 
waves—two great forces of nature—seemed pleading 
with one another in awful tones of eloquence, as if con- 
tending for their respective rights to our gallant ship. 
Ever and anon the ‘Queen of the West’ would mount 
the summit of a mighty billow, as if to bid adieu to the 
watery regions, and then descend as if destined for the 
bottom of the sea. Father Neptune won his case, and 
the effect upon the listener and beholder was no less 
powerful than sublime. I held on my hat, with a hand 
over each ear, to prevent ear-ache, and took my posi- 
tion on top of a life-boat, gazing and listening with 
admiration and delight, until the powerful intonations 
of nature’s great orators caused my head to throb with 
pain. I then retired to my room to spend the remainder 
of a Sabbath evening meditating upon the solemn and 
impressive divine service that I had just attended.’’ 

Following a rather rough voyage they arrived at 
Liverpool, on the 14th of October. 

At a general conference of the British Mission, 
which convened soon after their arrival, the Rich- 
ards brothers were appointed to labor in Scotland. 
Franklin was given charge of all the branches there. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 77 


On October 22nd he sailed from Liverpool for his north- 
ern field of labor. 

Three months later an event occurred which 
caused his return to Liverpool. President Orson Hyde, 
who was then at the head of the mission, was about to 
leave for home, and Elder Orson Spencer was expected 
from Utah to succeed him. A letter from here car- 
ried the erroneous report that Orson Spencer had 
passed away, and this led to the appointment by Presi- 
dent Hyde of Franklin D. Richards as president of the 
British Mission and editor of the ‘‘ Millennial Star,”’ 
the organ of that mission. 

In his farewell epistle to the Saints, January 15, 
1847, President Hyde thus commends his young suc- 
cessor: 

‘‘Brother Franklin D. Richards, a worthy young 
man who has received the fullness of the Priesthood 
in the Temple of God, will be our successor in the edi- 
torial department. of this paper, and will also take the 
presidency of the whole Church in the British Isles, 
under the direction and instruction of the Council of 
the Twelve Apostles. With all confidence we resign our 
trust into his hands, being satisfied of his competency 
and ability to perform the work assigned him; and 
_ what is still better, we know that God is with him. We 
leave our blessing upon him in the name of the Lord, 
and say to the Saints, listen to his counsel and instruc- 
tion; in doing so, you shall be blessed with life and 
salvation. 

‘“We throw the mantle of authority upon the shoul- 
ders of Brother Richards. The spirit of wisdom and 
knowledge shall be with him, and his words shall be the 


78 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


end of controversy to them that are saved, and a law to 
the upright in heart. Receive Brother Richards as you 
have received us, and hearken to his counsels. Up- 
hold him by your faith and prayers, by your love, and 
by your good will, and heaven will bless you.”’ 

This appointment took Franklin to the Liverpool 
Office early in that year, his brother Samuel succeed- 
ing him in Scotland. 

Shortly after President Hyde had sailed, Orson 
Spencer, to the surprise of all, arrived in Liverpool, and 
it was then learned that it was his brother who had 
passed away. As Elder Spencer had been appointed 
by the home authorities, he immediately assumed the 
duties of president of the mission, Elder Richards act- 
ing as his counselor. Brother Spencer’s health was very 
poor, however, and much of the time he was confined 
to his room. During his periods of illness Brother 
Richards nursed him tenderly, and carried largely the 
labors and responsibilities of the presidency. 

On the 8th of July he conducted a very successful 
meeting at West Broomwick, in a large tent over which 
floated a pennant bearing on one side the inscription: 
‘The law shall go forth from Zion,’’ and on the other 
side, ‘‘To your tents, O Israel!’’ The tent was so 
crowded that not all who desired could enter, and many 
stood waiting on the outside. Hollowing the meeting, 
several persons were baptized. In describing the ocea- 
sion President Richards said: ‘‘All seemed happy and 
edified. It was a happy day for me. 'T’o God and the 
spirit of his grace be all the praise. Brother Cyrus 
H. Wheelock told me he expected to double the. mem- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 79 


bership of the conference in three months.’’ This inci- 
dent was typical of many such, by means of which the 
work was greatly renewed and the mission made 
stronger and healthier. 

On one occasion, referring to some drunkenness 
that came under his observation, he wrote in his diary: 
‘*While the rest take pleasure in their cups, I enjoy 
the blessings of the celestial kingdom, which I have 
in part and hope to be made a partaker of to a fulness. 
I desire the ability to lead my fellowmen from such 
habits into a more exalted sphere of joy and consola- 
won.’’ 

Under date of June 3, 1847, he notes that it was 
then nine years since his baptism into the Church. 
Meantime he had filled five missions in the United 
States, had come up through the grades of the Priest- 
hood to that of High Priest, had received his endow- 
ments in the Nauvoo Temple, and was then counselor 
in the presidency of the British Mission, embracing 
sixteen thousand Saints. ‘‘Most of all things, this 
day,’’ says he, ‘‘I desire the Holy Spirit which giveth 
life—eternal life, yea, life more abundantly to both 
body and spirit.”’ 

He continued to work in the Liverpool Office until 
the fall of that year, and then labored in the south and 
west of England, in the Bath, Bristol and Trombridge 
conferences, which he consolidated under the name 
of the South Conference. 

A famine was vexing Britain and other parts of Hu- 
rope at that time, and in contemplating the exile of his 
people, with what remained of his family in the wilder- 
ness, he was led to write: 


80 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


‘‘Some of the nations, England and France in 
particular, are suffering from hunger, and are import- 
ing breadstuffs, while the land of Zion (America) is 
the only land that affords food for exportation, and to 
which the poor, with only means left for transportation, 
are migrating by hundreds and thousands, while the 
destitute and the wealthy remain. One paper from 
Ireland states that in that vicinity the suffering is so 
great that scores are dying daily from hunger. The 
most lucrative business is coffin-making, but many are 
buried without any, and often lie a week after death 
without interment. This is but. a moiety of what comes 
to my ears about my fellows—men, women and children 
—pining away to skeletons, turning raving maniacs, 
or dying in a most horrid condition; while Parliament 
sits, day after day, doing little or nothing worthy of 
notice for their relief. 

‘“The United States has permitted thirty thousand 
of her most loyal and best citizens to be expelled from 
her borders, and we hear of no general public expres- 
sion of sympathy for them. At the same time hundreds 
of thousands of dollars are subscribed for the relief 
of the suffering among the British nation. Congress 
furnished ships to supply them with the means raised. 
The ‘Herald for Europe’ (February 27, 1847,) contains 
an account of subscriptions from forty-five towns, in- 
stitutions and persons, of $120,894.00 from the eastern 
and middle states, for the poor in Ireland and Scotland. 
At the same time, the God of Israel sends quail, as in 
the days of Moses, to feed his faithful children in 
their necessities, when the charity of their fellow men 
is turned away from them. Let all the Saints unite to 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 81 


praise the living God, who changes not and whose 
mercy endures forever!’’ 

Apropos of the quail incident here mentioned. The 
sudden and unlooked for appearance of quail on the 
banks of the Mississippi River, at the time of the ex- 
odus from Illinois, is a well authenticated incident of 
‘‘Mormon’’ history. The birds came in great flocks, 
settled down upon the river bottoms, and were so tame 
as to be easily caught by the homeless refugees whose 
hunger they were destined to appease. 

During the prevalence of the famine in Britain 
thousands did their utmost to obtain passage to Amer- 
ica— ‘not in companies,’’ says President Richards, 
‘‘hut in masses, the shipping offices being thronged, 
like American town halls on election day. Ships can- 
not be obtained, and many are compelled to return to 
Treland.”’ 

On the 13th of August he wrote in his diary: 

‘This morning I awoke from a dream in which I 
seemed to have been with President Brigham Young 
in the Temple at Nauvoo. We sat opposite each 
other, with our feet in a clear, lively pool of 
water, and we conversed together. He asked, 
‘Brother Franklin, would you accept it if I should ap- 
point you one of the Quorum?’ I replied, ‘Brother 
Brigham, I always have accepted, and as far as I 
could, have obeyed every appointment that has been 
given to me, and I always intend to.’ He then showed 
me several books containing peculiar drawings and dia- 
erams, many of which were lightly colored and in the 
Prophet Joseph’s own hand writing. While I was ex- 
amining the books I awoke, and felt as happy as if I 

6 


82 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


had really been in the company of President Young, 
and the holy influence seemed to rest upon my whole 
person.’’ 

This dream had its fulfillment two years later, 
when he was ordained an Apostle and called into the 
@uorum of the Twelve. 

In Southern England, during the summer of 1847, 
the work was much revived through the blessing of the 
Lord and the outpouring of his Spirit upon the people 
Many were added to the Church by baptism, and a 
number of branches were organized. In Birmingham 
the meeting house was thronged, and weekly baptisms 
continued for a long time. This was also the case 
throughout the mission, thanks to the active labors 
of the zealous Elders at headquarters and in every 
part of the field. 

The First Presidency, the highest council in the 
Church, but vacant since the death of the Prophet 
Joseph, was filled at a conference held on the east side 
of the Missouri River after the return of the pioneer 
leaders from Salt Lake Valley. Brigham Young was 
sustained as President, and Heber C. Kimball and Wil- 
lard Richards as his first and second counselors, re- 
spectively. Brigham and Heber were members of the 
original Quorum of the Twelve, organized at Kirtland, 
Ohio, in the year 1835. Willard had been ordained an 
Apostle by Brigham Young, while in England in 1840. 

One of the first acts of the newly created Presi- 
dency was to instruct the presiding brethren at Liver- 
pool to lay plans for sending a company of Saints, made 
up of those desirous and financially able to emigrate, 
through to Salt Lake Valley. The water route was 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 83 


from Liverpool to New Orleans, thence up the Miss- 
issippi and Missouri rivers to Winter Quarters. Ships 
were cheaply procured on this route, for the reason 
that vessels from America, cargoed with cotton, were 
liable to return empty unless they carried passengers. 
Hence cheap rates and good accommodations were 
obtainable. 


The company was duly organized and forwarded. 
Other companies of Saints had sailed for America ere 
this, but the one now referred to was the first from 
the British Isles bound for the Rocky Mountains. The 
honor of conducting it fell to Franklin D. Richards, 
who had for his counselors Cyrus H. Wheelock and 
Andrew Cahoon; Samuel W. Richards acting as clerk. 
The company consisted of one hundred and thirty 
Saints, nearly half of them Scotch, and the others from 
various parts of England. They sailed on the ship 
‘‘Carnatic,’’ February 20, 1848. 

The Richards brothers, it will be remembered, had 
labored in Scotland, where they firmly established 
themselves in the hearts and affections of the Saints. 
On their departure for home, the Scotch poet, John 
Lyon, penned the following lines: 

Farewell! Beloved of the Lord, farewell! 

In Scotland’s name, a Scot would dare to tell 

How much we’ve prized your labors since you came, 
Though now you leave for lands of brighter fame, 
Where truth and love eternal as the spheres, 
Shall wield the sceptre through unnumbered years. 


Farewell! but oh, one lasting boon I crave— 
Remember Scotland and her sons so brave. 


*K K *« * * 


Accept in words a nation’s warmest love, 
While coupled actions ample witness prove 


84 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


How much we’ve loved you, and will love you still, 
Though wisdom whispers, “Do your Master’s will.” 
Ten thousand Saints their throbbing hearts will raise 
To heav’n’s high King, to bless your future days, 
And safely guard you in that happy home 

Where gather’d millions shout, the Kingdom’s come! 
And wives and sires recount your honors won, 

And bless your names as husband, father, son! 


Farewell! and while you rise in godlike fame, 
We'll ever pray for blessings on your name. 

On a former occasion Brother Lyon had expressed 
to Franklin D. Richards his strong desire to emigrate 
to Zion, though feeling doubtful that his hope would 
ever be realized. Thereupon the latter promised him 
that he should not only emigrate to Zion, but should 
there become a door-keeper in the House of the Lord. 
Literal fulfillment of this prophetic promise was later 
seen in the service rendered by the venerable poet as 
door-keeper of the old Endowment House, the prede- 
cessor of the Salt Lake Temple. 

In a letter to President Spencer, dated at St. 
Louis, but probably written on the Mississippi steam- 
boat, May 1, 1848, President Richards thus describes 
the voyage of the ‘‘Carnatic:”’ 

‘We were thirteen days tossed violently about - 
the Channel and the Irish Sea. All the company except 
three were quite seasick. 

‘On Sunday, February 27th, we were beating off 
Milford, and it was proposed by the captain, that if the 
weather did not change, to put into haven next day; 
but we succeeded in clearing the Cape and standing out 
to sea. Sometimes we ran so close to the rocks and 
shoals, that the captain put on all the sail the ‘Car- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 85 


natic’ could bear, which made her roll and wallow in 
the seas with apparent madness. She barely escaped 
the threatened danger. This was the roughest part of 
the voyage.”’ 

Before proceeding further with the letter, let us 
here interject a question: Was it on this occasion that 
the following incident occurred, related by Grand- 
father Richards in after years? 

While on one of his trips across the Atlantic, 
returning from the British Mission in charge of a 
company of Saints and Elders, the weather was 
very stormy, and the waves were rolling so high that 
the officers of the vessel were fearful of its being 
dashed to pieces. When the hearts of strong men 
were failing them, he remembered that he held the holy 
Priesthood, which authorized him to rebuke the angry 
elements and command them to be still, as was done by 
the Savior and his Apostles in their day. Withdraw- 
ing to a part of the ship where he was unobserved, and 
raising his hands to high heaven, he rebuked the 
storm, the furious winds and waves, in the name of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, commanding them to cease their 
violence and to be calm. The tempest immediately 
subsided; none of the passengers were lost, and no dam- 
age was done to the vessel. 

His letter now goes on: 

‘*As soon as the elements and our health would 
permit, we were organized into such divisions as equal- 
ized the labor of cleaning, building fires, receiving 
water, maintaining watch, etc., each day of the week. 
This was done by the men. We had our regular hours 
for prayer; also meetings on the Sabbath. Once we 


86 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


administered the Sacrament. The captain, upon find- 
ing us diligent to observe good order, laid aside the 
rigid formality of ship rules and granted us every 
comfort and convenience that we could enjoy or he be- 
stow on shipboard; indeed he studied our happiness 
with the care of a father, bringing and sending dainties _ 
from his own table to such of the company as were 
most sea-sick. He admitted us on the quarter decks 
and into the cabin; committed the ship’s medicine chest 
into my charge; and when we came to warm latitudes 
prepared shower baths, which conduced much to our 
health and comfort. In short, had he been a Saint, I 
do not see that he could have granted us greater lib- 
erties, or associated more familiarly with us, and still 
have maintained the dignity of his command over all 
on board. 

‘‘Let me here mention his kindness to me. On 
the 26th of March, when I had become go reduced as to 
be unable to dress and go on deck alone, he offered me 
his own berth and state room; and a seat at his table. 
Reluctant to accept this too generous offer, I was ten- 
dered by the first and second mates their rooms, and 
the latter I accepted. Immediately I began to improve; 
so that when we arrived in New Orleans, on the 9th 
of April, my health was again quite good. When I 
was ready to pay for these distinguished favors, his 
charge was ‘an interest in my prayers and that he and 
his might be gathered with us into the Kingdom of 
God.’ He gave us a parting kiss with tears; and the 
crew bestowed three cheers. Let the prayers and bless- 
ings of the faithful be for him and his; for he not oy 
called us brethren, but treated us‘as neh 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 87 


‘‘Cleanliness and ventilation are indispensable to 
the health of any company of emigrants passing into 
so warm a latitude. We were as low as thirteen degrees 
north of the Equator. Another important contingency 
—each adult person should be supphed with four in- 
stead of three quarts of water per day, put up In sweet, 
healthy casks. When a protracted passage renders it 
necessary to reduce the quantity of water \to.two 
quarts, and even three pints, per day, as was the case 
with us, it is very uncomfortable, if not unhealthy, in 
the heated zone. 

‘“We passed into the Caribbean Sea, between the 
islands of Antigua and Guadeloupe on Sunday, the 
2nd of April. We passed Cape St. Antonio (Isle of 
Cuba) on the 13th, and on Monday the 17th, about 
3p.m., Captain M’Kenzie, Brother Cahoon and myself 
went on to the fore topsail yard, in search of Belize, and 
by the aid of the glass readily saw the light-house and 
steamers plying to and fro. 

‘‘On our arrival at New Orleans, we found Elder 
L. N. Scoville watching for us. He immediately came 
on board, which very much cheered us all.. By diligent 
exertion we were cleared and on this boat in three days. 
Captain M’Kenzie had taken out a permit from the 
House of Customs for the luggage of seventy families, 
to be passed to the officer on board, with whom I made 
a favorable acquaintance. He treated us with much 
respect, and not a box, barrel, or parcel of any kind 
whatever was required to be examined. And lest we 
might wish to clear the ship when he was not present, 
he gave me a certificate of clearance for my company 
and all that belonged to them. Thus even to this mo- 


88 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


ment has the Lord seemed to prepare all things before 
us. Here let me say that it 1s of vast importance to 
all concerned that good and faithful men have charge of 
the companies coming out, men who will exert a sav- 
ory influence, not only with the Saints in charge, but 
save pounds in value and prevent the wounding of 
good feelings.’’ 

‘‘Now, Brother Spencer, I have watched over this 
company with my utmost diligence. My counselors 
have efficiently co-operated with me. In doing so we 
have had in view the worth of precious souls; and I 
firmly believe that no company of Saints has ever 
crossed the Atlantic with less disorder, disaffection and 
complaint, or with more of a salutary, happy influence 
exerted upon the people, under the circumstances, than 
have surrounded us. For all this I feel grateful indeed 
to our Heavenly Father, and believe it will be comfort- 
ing to you and the Saints generally in Britain to know 
of it. We are thankful for their faith and fervent 
prayers, the benefits of which we have richly realized. 
When they come out may they be led forth, as we have 
been, in much mercy, and be spared the many evils 
too often connected with such a journey. 

‘‘Brother Samuel, Brother Scoville and my coun- 
selors join with me in sentiments of high esteem to- 
wards yourself and family, and wish you every pros- 
perity and happiness in accelerating the speed of the 
work; and may the blessings of God and good men 
abound unto all, such as have administered to our 
wants, or may to yours and all the faithful. 

‘‘Harewell! As ever, your fellow servant for 
righteousness sake. HD ichandsiag 


CHAPTER [X 
CROSSING THE GREAT PLAINS 


At Winter Quarters—Preparing to Start West—Emigrations of 1847 
and 1848—Mode of Travel—Camp Government—Experience with Indians— 
Arrival in Salt Lake Valley. 

The journey from Liverpool to Winter Quarters 
was completed about the middle of May, 1848. At 
the last-named place President Richards found his 
wife and such of their relatives as had survived the 
perils and privations of the enforced exodus. Grand- 
mother Richards, childless, and so feeble that her life 
at times was despaired of, had waited a year and nine 
months for the return of her husband from his foreign 
mission. ‘The Church leaders and her relatives had 
been most kind and helpful, administering to her wants 
as best they could under the prevailing hard condi- 
tions. 

The first winter on the frontier had been spent by 
the Saints in putting up temporary log homes, con- 
structing a house of worship and a grist mill, planting 
crops, repairing wagons, and making preparations for 
the long and arduous journey that lay before them. 
Many were but scantily supplied with food, and every 
possible resource had to be drawn upon in order to 
_“*keep the wolf from the door.’’ While they yet tarried 
on the Missouri, Phinehas Richards was placed at the 
head of a committee to fish in the river, and thus pro- 
vide food for the destitute. As a result boat-loads of 
fish were caught and distributed. 

As already told, the spring of 1847 had witnessed 


90 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


the departure of the Pioneers, whose object. was to ex- 
plore the region of the Rocky Mountains and find, if 
possible, a suitable and permanent home for the Saints. 
That object was attained, as we have seen. The pio- 
neer party consisted of one hundred and forty-three 
men, three women and two children, and was under the 
direct personal leadership of President Brigham 
Young. 

Immediately upon entering Salt Lake Valley, the 
great leader declared it to be the place where the Lord 
desired his people to dwell. He had beheld it in vision, 
before seeing it with his natural eyes, and so vividly 
that he recognized it as soon as he arrived upon the 
scene. Accordingly, the journey ended and the work 
of founding a settlement began. Crops were put in, 
irrigation ditches dug, and explorations of the sur- 
rounding country made. Salt Lake City was surveyed, 
a site for a temple set apart, and temporary homes 
were constructed—these in the form of a rectangular 
fort or stockade of logs and adobes, the walls of which 
were twenty-seven inches thick and nine feet high. 
This primitive structure, which was later called ‘*The 
Old Fort,’’ served the settlers as a means of protec- 
tion against hostile Indians. It was located at Third 
South and Third West Streets, where Pioneer Park is 
now situated. 

President Young and many of the Pioneers re- 
turned to Winter Quarters in the fall of that year, and 
in December a conference, attended by more than a 
thousand people, was held in a log tabernacle built by 
the Saints on the east side of the Missouri River, a few 
miles above the present city of Council Bluffs. The 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 91 


First Presidency was reorganized, and preparations 
were made for a general emigration from those parts 
the next season. Four large companies had followed 
immediately in the wake of the Pioneers the season 
before, and now it was proposed to emigrate the 
residue of the people. 

It was desirable, however, to maintain an out- 
fitting post on the Iowa frontier for the benefit of 
future emigration. This need led to the founding of 
Kanesville, so named for Colonel Thomas L. Kane, 
that outspoken friend of the ‘‘ Mormon’’ people who, at 
the time of the enlistment of the Battalion, had visited 
their camps at and near Council Bluffs. Kanesville 
was built on the site of the log tabernacle previously 
mentioned. A small paper called‘‘The Frontier Guard- 
ian’’ was published there, the editor being Apostle 
Orson Hyde who, after the departure of the First 
Presidency, had charge of Church affairs on the Mis- 
sourl. The new town was for several years a point of 
outfit and departure for ‘‘ Mormon’’ emigration. Com- 
panies sailing from Liverpool via New Orleans would 
steam up the Mississippi and the Missouri to Kanes- 
ville, and there begin the journey across the western 
plains. The first company to follow this route up the 
two great rivers, was the one led by Franklin D. Rich- 
ards, as already related. 

He had arrived at Winter Quarters only a short 
time before the first companies of the season started 
for the mountains. The emigrants who had accompan- 
ied him from Liverpool were soon absorbed among the 
Saints on the frontier. The big companies led by Pres- 
idents Young and Kimball were about to start west, 


92 | ‘ FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


and Franklin was directed to go into Lowa to procure 
oxen and make hasty preparation for the journey. In 
the event that he could get ready in time, he was to join 
the last company, which was under the direction of 
President Willard Richards. This he succeeded in 
doing, and on the 5th of July the train rolled out, with 
Franklin as captain over fifty wagons. Winter Quar- 
ters was now nearly deserted. 

The mode of travel-was to organize into compan- 
ies. To every ten wagons was appointed a captain; to 
every five of these tens there was a captain of fifty, 
and for two of such divisions a captain of one hundred. 
When practicable, to each hundred wagons was as- 
signed one of the Apostles as superintendent. 

The appended orders for the government of the 
camp were issued by the leaders and carefully heeded 
by their followers: 

‘‘ At five o’clock in the morning, the bugle is to be 
sounded as a signal for every man to arise and attend 
prayers before he leaves his wagon. Then the people 
will engage in cooking, eating, feeding teams, etc., until 
seven o’clock, at which time the train is to move at 
the sound of the bugle. Each teamster is to keep beside 
his team with a loaded gun in hand or within easy 
reach, while the extra men, observing the same rule 
regarding their weapons, are to walk beside the par- 
ticular wagons to which they belong, and no man may 
leave his post without permission of his officer. In 
case of an attack or any hostile demonstration by In- 
dians, the wagons will travel in double file—the order 
of encampment to be made in a circle, with the tongue 
of each wagon on the outside, and the horses and e¢attle 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 93 


tied inside the circle. At 8:30 p. m. the bugles are to 
be sounded again, upon which signal all will hold pray- 
ers in their wagons, and be retired to rest by nine 
o’clock.”’ 

No travel and no unnecessary work were engaged 
in on the Sabbath day, but devotional exercises were 
held. Says the journal of Captain Richards: 

‘“We were the last company of the season, and 
were therefore at a disadvantage. The water in the 
late summer and fall was not so good as earlier in 
the season. Feed along the road had been consumed, 
and it was necessary to drive the cattle a considerable 
distance from camp in order to obtain grass for them. 
A number of the cattle died from drinking alkali water, 
and it became necessary to yoke up yearlings and 
milch cows, so that our progress might not be long de- 
layed. Many of the families in our company had to 
walk, both children and grown people.”’ 

The captains had to be men of practical experience. 
They were to look after the wheels and brakes, see 
that the cattle were well cared for, and in every way 
provide against accidents. Some days the wagons 
traveled as far as thirty miles; on other days perhaps 
only ten miles, the distances depending upon the water- 
ing places. Signs were posted along the way, so that 
emigrants might know each morning where they were 
likely to camp at night. 

Under such circumstances, resourceful and withal 
genial men were in demand, for it was necessary to 
keep a spirit of good cheer among the Saints, and at 
the same time inspire them with deep earnestness. 
Says Captain Richards: ‘‘We had not a single death 


94 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


in our company. A little boy was accidentally shot 
through his knees and arms, but he got well. My uncle 
Willard had been a practicing physician in Boston. We 
felt, therefore, that we had a good doctor with us; one 
upon whose wisdom and sagacity we could confidently 
rely. 

‘‘We found very little hostility among the Indians. 
As we approached the Indian town of Cheyenne, the 
inhabitants (Sioux) sent out a detachment of horse- 
men to meet us; we thought this meant death and de- 
struction to our company, as the savages lined up on 
each side of our wagons; but they took us where we 
found grass for our cattle, and conducted us safely 
through and beyond their town for a distance of about 
a mile west. We organized a night guard, placed our 
cattle under the charge of our own men, and the In- 
dians returned to their camp. We found only one who 
tried to be dishonest. He climbed upon my father’s 
wagon, but one of the men caught him and brought him 
out. 

‘‘The next morning the chiefs and braves of the In- 
dian town came out and formed in a line, the chiefs 
in the center and the braves on right and left, with the 
squaws and papooses in the rear. They took their seats 
upon the green grass, after having spread in front of 
them some hice new buffalo robes. We had a meeting 
and talked with them. The chief expressed to us, 
through an interpreter, in a very dignified and proper 
manner, that it was the custom of companies traveling 
through their land to make them presents of such 
things as might be most convenient to bestow. Where- 
upon we sent men among our companies to receive such 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 95 


donations of provisions as the various families felt 
able and inclined to give. These, when spread sepa- 
rately upon the buffalo robes, seemed but a small dona- 
tion for so many people as this Indian settlement 
contained. We explained that we had in our wagons 
only what we had to live on for a whole year. The 
chief and his people generally seemed quite satisfied 
with this explanation. They accepted our gift with 
complacency and apparent satisfaction, and every- 
thing was well and right.’’ 

The route taken by these emigrants was the same 
that the Pioneers had pursued the year before. Mainly 
it was the one afterwards followed by the Union Paci- 
fic Railroad, from Omaha, Nebraska, to Ogden, Utah. 
From the mouth of Echo Canyon, instead of going 
down Weber Canyon, which was then impassable, the 
emigrants went up Hast Canyon, over the mountains 
and down Emigration Canyon to the present site of 
Salt Lake City. First, however, they traversed 
rolling prairies, dotted with roving herds of buffalo. 
Gradually ascending the Continental Divide, they de- 
scended through the heart of a rugged mountainous 
country, finding the road badly cut up by the travel of 
the preceding year. Crossing the rugged spurs of the 
Uintah range, they proceeded down steep and rocky 
canyons and up long ascents toward cloud-piercing 
summits, testing to the limit the endurance of both 
men and beasts. Notwithstanding this, the utmost 
patience was exhibited, and good temper maintained 
throughout the trying journey. 

The experience was a most distressing one for 
Grandmother Richards, who was very ill. Much of the 


96 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


time it seemed as though each day would be her last; 
but there were many kind friends, genuine and true, 
to give comfort, minister to her wants, and lighten her 
burdens. 

On the 19th of October they entered Salt Lake 
Valley and made their camp at the Fort, more grateful 
than words can express to find a resting place for their 
wearied bodies, worn down with toil and sickness. 
Their company was the last to arrive that season, and 
it increased the population of the Valley to between 
four and five thousand. 

President Young’s train had come in on the 20th 
of September. All the companies had now arrived, and 
under the inspired direction of the great pioneer 
leader, God’s people were established in the tops of 
‘‘the everlasting hills,’’ in the heart of the Great 
American Desert, which the exiled Saints loved even 
at that early day, notwithstanding its barrenness, its 
savages and wild beasts, because it held out to them 
the promise of peace and liberty. 

Thus did the God of Israel work through the 
Prophet Brigham, to bring about, through him and 
his successors, the fulfillment. of the prediction made 
by the Prophet Joseph in August, 1842, that the Latter- 
day Saints would ‘‘become a mighty people in the midst 
of the Rocky Mountains.”’ 


CHAPTER X 
IN SALT LAKE VALLEY 


Another Home Built—Birth of Franklin Snyder Richards—Food Scarcity 
—Crickets and Gulls—Call to the Apostleship—Another Foreign Mission— 
Josephine Richards West—Plural Wives and Their Children—Primitive 
Mail Service—Pony Express and Electric Telegraph—Reception and Assimi- 
lation of Immigrants—Apostolic Home Duties. 

Franklin D. Richards reached the present site of 
Salt Lake City on the 19th of October, 1848. Most of 
the land now embraced within the corporate limits was 
then covered with sagebrush, sunflowers and other wild 
erowths. Except for the willows fringing the creeks 
and the Jordan River, there was scarcely the sugges- 
tion of a tree in all the broad and barren landscape. 

There were no ‘‘land grabs’’ in that primitive 
colony. The land was parceled out by the pioneer 
leaders, and distributed by lot to the settlers, ** without 
money and without price,’’ excepting a nominal fee to 
cover the expense of surveying. Hach family was 
given sufficient ground for a residence site and for 
gardening and farming uses, but no large holdings for 
speculative purposes, nor more than could be profitably 
cultivated. All was public domain, held by the settlers 
in a possessory way with a squatter’s right only. Until 
twenty years later, when the United States land laws 
were extended over the newly acquired territory, the 
people of Utah could obtain no legal titles to their 
property. 

Salt Lake City had been surveyed, and a commit- 
tee appointed to distribute the city lots and suburban 
farms, before the Richards family arrived, Having 

7 


98 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


received his lot, Grandfather placed upon it his wagon- 
box, containing his earthly possessions, and turned out 
the faithful cattle that had brought him safe over the 
plains, to browse around for feed. The death of ‘Old 
Buck,’’ one of the oxen, from wounds inflicted by 
wolves, was a cause of genuine grief to the family. 

During the first winter in the Valley their only 
home was that wagon-box; but the next year they built 
an adobe hut, eighteen feet long and sixteen feet wide, 
and covered it with canvas, the earth serving as a floor. 
The following winter a spark from the chimney ignited 
the canvas and completely consumed the roof. In an 
attempt to remove their meagre possessions and put 
out the fire, Grandfather was badly burned on his arms 
and face. 

Inadequacy of food supplies was a source of con- 
stant worriment in the colony during the first few 
years. In 1848 the harvest was dangerously reduced 
by erickets, which swarmed down upon the fields and 
for a time swept everything before them. The alarmed 
settlers fought them with clubs, brooms and fires, but 
still the crickets prevailed. The people would surely 
have faced starvation had not the gulls from the lake 
come in great numbers and destroyed the voracious 
pests. The gulls would gorge themselves upon the 
erickets, then vomit them into the streams and feast 
again, repeating the process until the fields were 
cleared of the black devourers. The coming of the gulls 
was regarded as a miracle by the grateful settlers. 

The harvest of the succeeding year, also, was too 
small to meet the needs of the community, whose num- 
bers had greatly increased. All were placed on rations, 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 99 


which were eked out with segoes, berries, thistles and 
other wild plants. By a spirit of altruism and mutual 
helpfulness much suffering was averted. 

Grandmother Richards played a noble part in 
those times of general scarcity. The generous help 
given by her to others caused her own little supply of 
food to become exhausted, or nearly so, and more than 
once she had to scrape the barrel for enough flour to 
make a single pan-cake. In later years, while reflect- 
ing upon the many times this was done, she was strong- 
ly impressed with the thought that, as in the case of 
the woman who fed the Prophet Eljah when about to 
eat her last morsel and die, the Lord must have marve- 
lously increased her scanty store, in return for her 
willingness to divide with others. 

In addition to the city lot, a five-acre tract in the 
farming district south of the town, was assigned to 
each newcomer. On June 20, 1849, while Grandfather 
was engaged in fencing his tract in that section, his 
wife gave birth to a son, whom they named Franklin 
Snyder Richards. When the babe was but six days 
old, a heavy rainstorm occurred. The roof of their 
httle home, consisting of earth and rushes, was inade- 
quate. The bed in which the sick mother lay with 
her infant child was drenched by the downpour, and 
she was thrown into a raging fever. Her husband and 
Elder Spencer administered to her, and she was re- 
stored to health through the prayer of faith. 

Parley P. Pratt, writing of those times, says: 
‘‘How quiet, how still, how free from excitement we 
live! The legislation of our High Council, the decision 
of some judge or court of the Church, a meeting, 2 


100 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


dance, a visit, an exploring tour, the arrival of a party 
of trappers and traders, a Mexican caravan, a party 
arrived from the Pacific or from Fort Bridger, a visit 
of the Indians, or a mail from a distant world once or 
twice a year, is all that breaks the monotony of our 
busy and peaceful life.”’ 

Busy it was, for willing hearts and hands found 
plenty to do. Grandfather describes his first year in 
the Valley as consisting of the performance of such 
physical labors as building, fencing, plowing, sowing, 
irrigating, and the general variety of work incident to 
the founding of a new settlement in the wilderness. He 
spent much time, also, in counsel with his brethren, 
deliberating upon public affairs. 

A very important event in his life occurred early 
in 1849. It was his call to the Apostleship, in fulfill- 
ment of the dream had by him while in England two 
years before. At this time there were four vacancies 
in the Quorum of the T'welve, and the men chosen to 
fill them were Charles C. Rich, Lorenzo Snow, Erastus 
Snow and Franklin D. Richards. They were ordained 
Apostles under the hands of the First Presidency, at 
Salt Lake City, on the twelfth day of February. Frank- 
lin, being the youngest, was ordained the last. Presi- 
dent Heber C. Kimball pronounced upon him his ordi- 
nation blessing, as follows: 

‘‘Brother Franklin Dewey Richards, we the ser- 
vants of God lay our hands upon thy head, and in the 
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth and by virtue of the 
Holy Priesthood, we set thee apart and ordain thee to 
be an Apostle of Jesus Christ; that thou mayest hold 
the keys and powers thereof in connection with the 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 101 


Twelve Apostles of the Lamb. Thou shalt be equal 
with them, and not a whit behind. And we seal all the 
keys of the Holy Priesthood through the ordination of 
the High Priesthood, through Joseph the Prophet of 
God, which we now confer upon thy head, with all the 
keys and powers thereof; that thou mayest be filled 
with light, and be strengthened, and comprehend the 
things of God in heaven and on earth; that thy mind 
may be fruitful in the things of God, and pierce the 
hearts of the honest to their comfort and consolation, 
and the hearts of the enemies of God to their over- 
throw. They will not have power to harm thee, for 
thou shalt live to a good old age. The power of the Al- 
mighty God shall go with thee, and thou shalt return 
to Zion with thy thousands, as doves to their windows, 
and they shall love thee and be as one with thee. We 
rebuke thy weakness, and wherein thou art deficient 
in any manner in thy body we ask that it may be made 
whole and perform its functions. And we seal all these 
blessings upon thee, and pronounce thee whole, that 
thou mayest live unto a good old age, and be an honor 
to thyself and to thy father’s house, and to the house- 
hold of faith, and an ornament in the Church of Latter- 
day Saints; and we seal all these blessings upon thee 
in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. 
Amen.”’ 

At the General Conference in October of that year, 
Franklin D. Richards was again called to leave home 
with its tender ties, and renew his missionary labor 
in the British Isles. Having but recently returned from 
years of service abroad, during which his young fam- 
ily had endured many hardships, sorrows and priva- 


102 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


tions, what must have been the emotions awakened in 
his breast at the thought of parting again so soon? 
But there was no faltering, no hesitation. He was an 
Apostle; he knew what the Lord required; and felt a 
solemn joy in responding to the call that had come. 

And what of her, his noble partner? Although 
she was to be left with her little babe to face the rigors 
of another winter in a one-roomed, floorless and almost 
roofless house, she did not murmur. She gloried in 
her husband’s advancement, and was more than anxi- 
ous that he should faithfully discharge the responsi- 
bilities of his new position. Calmly and resignedly 
she bade him goodby, with a wish and prayer that God 
would greatly bless and prosper him. 

The Apostle filled with credit this mission—of 
which we shall have more to say presently—and other 
missions that followed. During his first eight years 
in Utah he was absent five and a half years on foreign 
missions; and ten of the first fourteen years of his mar- 
ried life were filled with missionary service. Ag @ 
consequence, the care of the family rested heavily upon 
his wife, who had to provide her own living. 

While her husband was in Europe she kept a few 
select boarders, among whom were public officials and 
other prominent people. Obviously at that early date 
such hotels as now grace Salt Lake City were unknown. 
Among her guests were Justice Solomon P. McCurdy, 
of our supreme court, and his family; Mr. Harvey 
Jones, bank cashier, and family; Colonel Thomas G. 
Webber, who afterwards married Mary Ellen, daughter 
of Franklin D. and Charlotte Fox Richards, and was 
for many years secretary and general superintendent 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 103 


of Zion’s Co-operative Mercantile Institution; also Mr. 
Perry, a celebrated portrait painter; Dr. William H. 
Groves, whose estate helped to found and endow the 
Latter-day Saints Hospital now bearing his name; with 
others of less prominence. Thus, while the husband 
was abroad, discharging his duty and receiving the 
respect and consideration due to his high calling, the 
wife was working early and late to support her family, 
educate her children, make home attractive, and sur- 
round them with that splendid influence that always 
characterized this excellent woman. 


May 25, 1853, a daughter was born to Franklin 
and Jane Richards, whom they named Josephine. On 
reaching maturity she married Joseph A. West, of 
Ogden. In addition to rearing her family, she held for 
twenty-five years the office of president of the pri- 
mary associations of Weber Stake, which included at 
that time all of Weber County. Later she became 
counselor to Sister Louie B. Felt, president of the 
primary associations of the entire Church. Josephine 
Richards West has shown herself a superior woman 
in many ways. 

Ags earlier mentioned, Franklin D. Richards had 
accepted the revelation on ‘‘Plurality of Wives.’’ In 
accordance with that principle of his faith, on October 
13, 1849, he married Miss Sarah Snyder, a sister of 
his first wife, and Miss Charlotte Fox, already men- 
tioned. On June 26, 1853, he married Miss Susan 8. 
Peirson, and on March 29, 1854, Miss Laura Snyder, 
his first wife’s niece. Ann Davis Dally, another of his 
wives, was married to him March 19, 1857. 


104 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


About this time President Willard Richards died, 
leaving a large family; his death occurring March 11, 
1854. He was a devoted and faithful Latter-day Saint, 
loyal and true to his brethren in every trial through 
which they had been called to pass. He voluntarily 
accompanied the Prophet Joseph to Carthage Jail, and 
when the mob rushed up the stairway and poured their 
deadly volleys into the room occupied by the ‘‘Mor- 
mon’’ leaders, he fearlessly parried their guns with his 
walking cane, thus protecting the Prophet at the risk 
of his own life, until Joseph leaped or fell from the 
window and was shot by the mob stationed outside 
the jail. 

Willard Richards, as before stated, was postmaster 
of Salt Lake City, editor of the Deseret News, Church 
Historian, and one of the First Presidency of the 
Church. He had been secretary of the Provisional 
State of Deseret (organized by the settlers in 1849), 
and after it was superseded by the Territory of Utah 
(created by Congress in 1850) he served as Secretary 
of Utah pro-tem, in the absence of the Federal appoin- 
tee. At the time of his death he was president of the 
council of the Territorial Legislature, and had just per- 
formed his duty in opening the annual session of that 
branch of the Assembly, when he was seized with his 
fatal illness. 

It was customary in ancient Israel—in fact, re- 
quired by the Mosaic law, for the brother of a deceased 
man to marry his widow or widows. If the brother 
relinquished his right, then the next male kinsman 
usually performed that duty. With this precedent in 
mind, President Young counseled Franklin D. Rich- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 105 


ards to marry his uncle’s widows, and become a pro- 
tector and provider for them and their children, 
Franklin was a great favorite with his uncle 
Willard, and warmly reciprocated his affection. He 
also stood high in the esteem of the family. The size 
of his own household rendered his domestic responsi- 
bilities quite heavy, but he was a man who obeyed 
counsel, and he followed the President’s advice. The 
maiden names of these widows were Nanny Long- 
stroth, Mary Thompson, Susan Bayliss and Rhoda 
Hoss. They were married to Franklin D. Richards 
by President Young at Salt Lake City, March 6, 1857. 
The first named lady became, by her second marriage, 
the mother of George F. Richards, the Apostle, who 
from 1916 to 1919 presided over the European Mission, 
and is now (1924) president of the Salt Lake Temple. 
Franklin D. Richards left a noble posterity. His 
sons and grandsons have honorably and creditably 
filled or are filling almost every office of prominence 
in the Priesthood of the Church, and have also served 
in various mission fields in different parts of the world. 
Equally prominent and distinguished have they been 
in the civil and political affairs of the state and na- 
tion, having served as members of both branches of the 
Legislature in Utah and Idaho, upon boards of control 
of state institutions, in various county offices, as secre- 
tary and acting governor of the Territory (now State) 
of Utah, and as Assistant Attorney General of the 
United States. In professional, literary, educational 
and commercial spheres, his posterity have been just 
as prominent and just as successful. It can also be 
said, with equal truth, that Grandfather’s daughters 


106 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


and granddaughters have been not one whit behind 
their brothers in service and devotion to the Church 
and to humanity, and in qualification and willingness 
to serve. 

The Provisional State of Deseret ceased to func- 
tion in April, 1851, when the Territory of Utah began 
its long and eventful career. Franklin D. Richards 
served repeatedly in the Territorial Legislature. In 
April, 1853, he participated in the ceremony of laying 
the corner stones of the Salt Lake Temple. 

Salt Lake City was the center of population for all 
the region round, but many other settlements had been 
formed, or were forming, in various parts. Towns and 
villages, rather widely separated, extended from Bear 
River on the north, to the Rio Virgen in the south. 
‘‘Mormon’’ colonies were also established at San 
Bernardino, in Southern California; in Carson Valley, 
now in Nevada; and on Salmon River, now in Idaho. 
It had been proposed to include in the State of Deseret 
all the country lying between the Rocky Mountains 
and the Sierra Nevada, and between Oregon and Mex- 
ico, with the port of San Diego as an outlet to the ocean. 
The Territory of Utah was enclosed within much nar- 
rower bounds. 

Its chief city was a thousand miles from civiliza- 
tion on the east, and almost the same distance from the 
settlements on the Pacific coast. Until the days of 
the stage coach and pony express, the fastest means of 
communication were the ox-team and the pack mule. 
Until 1850 there was no regular mail service, and the 
first one established between Independence, Missouri, 
and Salt Lake City, was unsatisfactory. The official 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 107 


news of the organization of the Territory, and the ap- 
pointment of Brigham Young as governor (September, 
1850,) did not reach the Utah capital until nearly six 
months after the appointment had been made. 

The first settlers in Salt Lake Valley had for their 
neighbors on the south the Utah or Ute Indians, and on 
the north and east the Snakes or Shoshones—savage 
tribes that hated each other and were frequently at 
war. ‘The ‘‘Mormon’’ leaders early decided that it 
was cheaper to feed the Indians than to fight them, 
and as a result they became quite friendly, though two 
decades passed before the country was entirely free 
from their outbreaks and depredations. 

In the summer of 1853, as Apostle Richards and 
his wife Jane, with their two small children, accom- 
panied by Brothers Lewis and Wright, were on the 
way to Cedar City, the following incident occurred. 
They were approaching Corn Creek, when they were 
accosted by a band of Indians, numbering nearly a 
score, who wanted food and desired to trade. They 
crossed the road in front of the teams and effectively 
barred progress until the required food was given. They 
stole a blanket from Brother Wright, also a bag con- 
taining several issues of ‘‘The Seer,’’ a periodical 
edited and published by Orson Pratt at Washington, 
D. C. After the Indians had all received something, 
they allowed the travelers to pass on without injury, 
although they had menaced them with their bows and 
arrows. The party had proceeded about two miles 
farther, when two of the red men came after them 
on horseback, bringing the bag of ‘‘Seers,’’ and pro- 
testing that they were ‘‘good Indians.’’ It was thought 


108 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


that they returned the bag because they believed it to 
contain United States mail. They had been told that 
they would be severely punished by the ‘‘Great Father 
at Washington”’ if they interfered with the mails. The 
little party got out of Parowan Valley about midnight, 
and camped in an open place till daybreak, that they 
might not be further molested. 

Two days later they were overtaken by messengers 
from the north bringing word that Alexander Keel, 
while on picket guard at Payson, had been treacher- 
ously shot by an Indian, who, with others of his tribe— 
the Utes— had just been fed by the people of the fort 
at that place, and were departing in an apparently 
friendly spirit. This murder was the beginning of the 
Walker War, so styled after Chief Walker (Wakara), 
the leader of the hostiles. 

Following general orders from Governor Brigham 
Young and General Daniel H. Wells, Franklin D. Rich- 
ards assisted George A. Smith in gathering the people 
of the southern settlements into forts, and putting them 
in a condition of defense against savage aggressions. 

Grandfather tells of a conference between savages 
and. settlers, which he witnessed at Salt Lake City. 
The meeting was for the purpose of making a treaty 
between the Utes and the Shoshones, and between 
these tribes and the white people. At the beginning of 
the parley Chief Walker came into the ring with his 
tomahawk in his belt. Washakie, the Shoshone chief, 
snatched it from him and furiously flung it away. It 
was a peace parley, not a challenge to conflict, and in 
Washakie’s opinion there was no need for tomahawks. 
The council, which lasted two days, resulted in a better 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 109 


understanding between the two tribes, and also be- 
tween the Indians and their white brethren. The 
campfire ended with a big free feast of which all the In- 
dians partook, and this was followed by a weird dance, 
an evidence of friendship and good will. 

For more than ten years the settlers had to content 
themselves with the horse-drawn stage coach, to carry 
mail and passengers to and from East and West. In 
1860 the Pony Express was established. Its picked 
riders, with relays of swift saddle horses, were able to 
make two hundred and fifty miles in twenty-four 
hours, while the mail coach could cover but one hun- 
dred to one hundred and twenty-five miles in that time. 
This innovation brought Salt Lake City into a six days 
communication with the frontier, and by the use of the 
telegraph from that point, within seven days of New 
York and Washington. The following year the Over- 
land Telegraph Line was completed, connecting Salt 
Lake City with San Francisco and the East. Five 
years later President Brigham Young organized the 
Deseret Telegraph Company, by which means all the 
leading settlements of Utah were placed in instant 
communication with each other. 

Emigrant trains from the frontier required sev- 
eral months to make the journey to Utah, and the ar- 
rival of one of them was always an occasion for con- 
siderable demonstration. Friends and relatives of 
expected immigrants would come to Salt Lake City and 
sometimes wait several days for the arrival of the train. 
In a journal entry of September, 1852, Grandfather 
Richards tells of a company of immigrants camped 
near the east foot of Little Mountain, where he found 


110 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


them on his way home from Parley’s Park. ‘The cap- 
tain of the company was A. O. Smoot, father of United 
States Senator Reed Smoot. Next day they were met 
near the mouth of Emigration Canyon by President 
Brigham Young, Willard and Franklin D. Richards 
and the municipal authorities, who led them into the 
city. The procession, headed by a brass band, was 
greeted with the firing of cannon, as it wended its way 
to and encamped upon the square where now stands the 
City and County Building. There a hearty welcome 
and general reception were given them—new friend- 
ships formed, and old ones renewed. 

During early years in Utah the Church leaders 
were much occupied in exploring the country, deter- 
mining the sections that offered the best natural ad- 
vantages for settlement, deciding where irrigation 
projects could be successfully undertaken, locating 
town-sites and having the land tributary thereto sur- 
veyed and properly distributed among the people. In 
short, assisting the large number of immigrants who 
were continually arriving from abroad to become as- 
similated and established upon the soil. 

The spiritual welfare of the people was also a 
matter of great concern to the Church leaders. As the 
settlements grew and extended, wards and stakes were 
organized, and the people were frequently visited by 
the ‘First Presidency, the Apostles, and other promi- 
nent Elders. If the journey was a long one, they were 
usually accompanied by a cavalry escort, in front and 
rear. At first this served as a protection against the 
Indians, but later merely as a mark of respect to the 
Authorities. As their carriages entered a settlement, 


a yr 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 111 


the residents, including parents and children, would 
line up on either side of the street through which the 
visitors were to pass, and strew flowers in their way, 
the little ones carrying flags and banners bearing ap- 
propriate mottoes, to welcome and show respect to 
those who had come so far to give them spiritual food 
and to counsel them in their material affairs. 

Apostle Richards often accompanied the First 
Presidency upon these journeys, and when not travel- 
ing among the people, imparting moral and spiritual 
instruction, he was occupied much of the time in coun- 
cil meetings with his quorum, deliberating on the many 
matters of grave importance connected with the Lord’s 
Work. 


CHAPTER XI 
SECOND MISSION ABROAD 


Apostles Sent to Various Countries—Franklin D. Richards to England— 
Incidents En Route—Arrival at Liverpool—Succeeds Orson Pratt as Presi- 
dent of the British Mission—Typical “Star” Editorials—Work Vigorously 
Prosecuted—The Perpetual Emigration Fund—Franklin’s Brother Samuel 
Succeeds Him—Return to Utah. 


Allusion was made in the previous chapter to 
Apostle Richards’ second call into a foreign mission 
field. He had been but a year in Salt Lake Valley 
when that call came. He was to have as traveling 
- companions three others of the Quorum of the Twelve, 
who had been appointed to open up the work in various 
countries. John Taylor had been assigned to France, 
Lorenzo Snow to Italy, and Erastus Snow to Scandi- 
navia. Apostle Richards went to succeed Orson Pratt 
as President of the British Mission. 

Renewed with strength and inspiration, largely 
begotten of the painful experiences of the exodus and. 
the hard but invigorating trials of pioneer life, these 
mighty men of God were going forth to agitate the 
nations with their fervent and powerful testimony. 
After years of tribulation, they had seen their people 
established in a land of peace and of future plenty, and 
now, animated by a holy ambition, they were journey- 
ing to foreign shores to sound the Glad Tidings, pro- 
claim the law of the Gathering, and lead the honest in 
heart, converted through their preaching or that of 
other agents of the God of Jacob, to the new home of 
the Saints in the tops of ‘‘the high mountains of Is- 





FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 113 


rael.’’ It would be difficult—nay, impossible, to find 
outside the Church of Christ such heroic zeal, such 
lofty enthusiasm, as was manifested by these devoted 
missionaries and by those who assisted them and were 
fired by the kindling force of their example. 

On October 19, 1849, shortly after the close of the 
General Conference of the Church, the members of the 
party met at the mouth of Emigration Canyon, to be 
organized by President Brigham Young for the over- 
land journey. Besides the Apostles named there were 
other Elders bound for different mission fields, and a 
number of brethren who were going to the States on 
business. The entire party numbered thirty-two. 

Karly in November, between the upper crossing 
of the Platte River and Independence Rock, they met 
four men who were carrying the mail to Fort Hall, 
Idaho. These carriers had been robbed by the In- 
dians of some of their blankets, clothes and provisions. 
On learning of these acts the east-bound travelers be- 
came more vigilant and took greater care to protect 
themselves and their animals. 

November 14th they arrived at Fort Laramie, and 
were treated with much civility by the officers sta- 
tioned there. Major Sanderson invited some of the 
party, including Apostle Richards, to dinner, after 
which they enjoyed an extended conversation on a 
variety of themes. They were supplied with what 
provisions they wanted, at ‘‘States’’ prices, without 
cost of carriage. 

Two days after leaving Fort Laramie, while en- 
camped for the noon hour on the banks of the Platte, 
they discovered a band of Indians, ornamented with 


8 


114 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


paint and feathers, suddenly appearing upon the brow 
of a hill three-quarters of a mile to the east and riding 
at full speed towards them. Several of the brethren 
secured the horses to the wagons, while the others seized 
their fire-arms and prepared to receive the expected 
onslaught. On came the savages, two hundred or 
more, some priming their guns, and others putting ar- 
rows to bow-strings. Undaunted, the white men stood 
their ground, and when within a few rods of them, the 
Indians suddenly halted, reining their horses back on 
their haunches. Their chief now came forward, show- 
ing signs of peace. Although communication was dif- 
ficult, it was learned that they were Cheyennes, friend- 
ly to the whites. The war-like scene was soon changed 
to one of feasting, the Indians being treated to crack- 
ers, dried meat and other ‘‘dainties,’’ after which they 
departed peacefully. 

The journey to the Missouri River was tedious and 
more or less dangerous, crossing a bleak, frozen coun- 
try where rain, sleet and keen winds were encountered, 
and later a land of torrential rains, with swollen 
streams to ford, which often imperiled their safety. 
At length they reached Kanesville, and from that point 
Apostle Richards made his way to St. Louis, then to 
New Orleans, and on to Liverpool, arriving there 
March 29, 1850. 

President Orson Pratt was temporarily absent, 
having been called to return hurriedly to Council 
Bluffs, and the ‘‘ Millennial Star’’ contained the an- 
nouncement that while he was away Elder Franklin 
D. Richards would preside over Church affairs in Great 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 115 


Britain. In his address to the European Saints Presi- 
dent Richards said: 

‘‘Since my departure from the British Islands with 
a company of Saints, on board the ‘‘Carnatic,’’ in Feb- 
ruary, 1848, my time has been chiefly occupied in going 
to and accompanying my family, with a camp of the 
Saints, from Winter Quarters to the Great Salt Lake 
Valley; in performing such physical labors as building, 
fencing, plowing, sowing, irrigating, and the general 
variety of work attendant upon the founding of a new 
settlement in a remote part of the American wilder- 
ness. Also, in deliberative council with my brethren 
of the Priesthood, I have contemplated the establish- 
ment of Zion and the interests of her children in all 
the world. Since the 19th of October last, I have (with 
others of the brethren now arrived) accomplished a 
journey nearly one-third the circumference of the 
earth, during the most unfavorable portion of the year, 
through hundreds of miles of snow on the vast plains, 
deep and almost impassable mud through a portion of 
the United States, as well as squalls, gales, and hur- 
ricanes on the sea. Thanks and praise to Almighty 
God, through His tender mercy and great salvation, 
we are safely landed on your shores, and our joy is 
greatly enhanced to learn of the increasing glory of 
his work in this realm.”’ 

After President Pratt’s return to England, Apos- 
tle Richards became his counselor in the presidency, 
serving as such until the close of 1850. President Pratt 
then announced to the Saints that with the opening 
of the new year, his successor would be in full charge. 
Accordingly, in January, 1851, the ‘‘Star’’ appeared 


116 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


with the address of Franklin D. Richards as president 
of the British Mission. 

The passing of the Old Year was thus commemo- 
rated by the ‘‘Star’’: 

‘‘Highteen hundred and fifty has passed away. 
With its termination, closed the first half of the nine- 
teenth century. Our earth has performed another revo- 
lution through the immense regions of space around the 
sun, attended by her moon, which was appointed to 
reflect light upon her by night, and which has jour- 
neyed nearly thirteen times around the earth in faith- 
ful performance of those duties which were assigned her 
by her great Creator. The earth has not failed to ob- 
serve the laws of motion which were given for her 
government throughout this vast journey of several 
hundred millions of miles, by which day and night, 
summer and winter, seed-time and harvest are still 
given to man. These stupendous truths most impres- 
sively declare the omnipotence, wisdom, and mercy 
of Almighty God, inspiring the possessors and lovers 
of truth with awe and veneration for His holy name. 

‘“There is another truth of no less magnitude, 
which is fraught with infinitely greater and more mo- 
mentous import to the present generation of man, viz: 
He who changes the times and seasons has, after the 
lapse of a cold and dark night of many hundreds of 
years, again brought the earth within the immediate 
influence of the Sun of Righteousness—the Son of 
God. His direct rays of present and immediate reve- 
lation have reached our earth. ‘For more than thirty 
years has this light of direct revelation been shining 
upon portions of our globe, illuminating the paths of 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 117 


those who have walked in it, with a certain knowledge 
of God, and their acceptance with Him. His bending 
rays of light are already perceptible over large portions 
of the earth’s surface. Thousands and scores of thou- 
sands are awakened and are awakening from their 
dreamy slumbers, to engage in works of righteousness. 

‘*Hail, Millennial Morn! Hail, early morn of that 
glorious Sabbath of Rest, in which the Son of God will, 
by his glorious presence and power, dispel darkness 
from the earth, and light up all nations with his glory.’’ 

Another editorial of that period refers thus to the 
Dispensation of the Fulness of Times: 

‘The poets of Israel have mused and written upon 
it with the most exalted strains of sentiment, and the 
liveliest emotions of the human soul. Their psalmists 
and sweet singers have tuned their voices and their 
instruments in the most stirring notes of high sound- 
ing praise to Him who gave this promise to their 
fathers. Their prophets have ever and anon described 
various phenomena and appearances peculiar to this 
ereat restoration of man and earth, and left them on 
record for the comfort and faith of others who should 
entertain the same exalted hope. Their most powerful 
orators have made it the theme of animating discourse, 
awakening the most lively imagery of the mind, and 
producing, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, the most 
certain conviction of its truth, while a Paul could make 
it the very predicate upon which to found a special 
plea before Agrippa in defense of his life. * * * 

‘“Seeing then that ancient saints entertained such 
lively and certain hope of that day of rest which re- 
mains for the people of God, why shall not modern 


118 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


saints contemplate the same things with the same 
exquisite joy? O ye Latter-day Saints, for a small 
moment forget your poverty, your oppression, your 
persecution, and all sorrow; lift up your hearts and 
rejoice before the Lord with song and prayer and 
thanksgiving, that you are permitted to live and be- 
hold the dispensation of the fullness of times estab- 
lished upon the earth. What generation of man so 
blessed, as that which is first favored with emancipa- 
tion from darkness and ushered into the effulgent 
rays of this glorious ight? Joy to the children of 
promise! 

‘The dawning of that day has come, 

And saints by thousands gather home.’ 

‘‘Year after year adds interest and power to this 
majestic work, and it must move on, impelled by the 
arm of Jehovah and in the face of all opposition, until 
it shall have been preached in every nation and lan- 
guage, and to every people.’’ 

The ‘‘Star’s’?’ New Year greeting contained the 
following luminous paragraphs: 

‘‘By diligent application, but more especially by 
the aid of ‘that wisdom which is profitable to direct,’ 
it is hoped that our little luminary may still faithfully 
reflect the doctrines of eternal life, to comfort the af- 
flicted, to bear up the oppressed, to strengthen the 
weak and direct the benighted traveler westward to a 
land of promise and a day of rest. 

‘‘Should any imperfections appear upon its face, 
it may perhaps be charitably remembered that dark 
spots are often seen upon the dise of the sun, and 
should its general brightness prove less than when 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 119 


conducted by its late editor, our sagacious readers will 
readily know how to maintain the quantity of light by 
ordering an increased number of them. We wish our 
readers a Happy New Year; may those who walk in 
the light of the Millennial Star, enjoy a thousand hap- 
pier ones during a reign of righteousness on earth, and 
in the meantime secure an inheritance for their genera- 
tions which shall never pass away.”’ 

A stirring year followed. The new President was 
not only possessed of all the zeal and energy that had 
characterized his former labors in the ministry, but 
he was now endowed with the full authority of the 
Apostleship and a consequent increase of spiritual 
power. Under him the missionary work was vigor- 
ously prosecuted. The branches of the Church were 
greatly strengthened, the truth spread over. wider 
fields, and numerous additions made through baptism. 
Tullidge, the historian, says: ‘‘The baptisms in the 
British Mission during two years of Franklin’s stu- 
pendous labor, extending from the summer of 1850 to 
the close of the spring of 1852, aggregated sixteen 
thousand; while the perfected organization of confer- 
ences, branches, pastorates, etc., was consummated 
with the marvelous increase. Indeed it was in 1851- 
1852 that the British Mission reached the perfection of 
its organization and the zenith of its strength under the 
presidency of Franklin D. Richards.’’ 

During his administration the business at the Liv- 
erpool Office was doubled. The Latter-day Saints 
Hymn Book was revised and enlarged and an edition 
of twenty-five thousand copies printed. The Book of 
Mormon was stereotyped, and arrangements made for 


120 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


stereotyping the Doctrine and Covenants. A new edi- 
tion of the ‘‘ Voice of Warning’’ was issued, and a plan 
devised which made the ‘‘Star’’ a weekly instead of a 
semi-monthly periodical, and greatly increased the 
number of its issue. President Richards also compiled 
and published the Pearl of Great Price, one of the four 
doctrinal standards of the Church. Besides editing, 
preaching, opening new fields, conducting a publishing 
business and causing the Book of Mormon to be trans- 
lated into foreign languages, he kept track of the 
funds raised in the various branches and conferences, 
made regular reports of all activities, remitted moneys 
collected to the First Presidency of the Church, and 
managed a large emigration office and agency, through 
which thousands were annually sent to America. 

Before leaving Utah, President Richards had 
helped to organize the Perpetual Emigration Fund 
Company, the object of which was to aid in gathering 
the poor Saints from the nations. He was one of a 
committee of five who raised the first five thousand 
dollars for that purpose, and within two years this 
amount was quadrupled. The fund was established by 
contributions from the Saints in America and in for- 
eign lands. ‘Those who received assistance from it were 
to give their notes for the amounts due, payable within 
a reasonable time after their arrival in Utah; the means 
thus returned to be used for the emigration of others. 
Hence the term ‘* Perpetual’’ in the title of the Fund. 
Up to the year 1887, when the company was disin- 
corporated by act of Congress, great numbers of people 
had been brought to ‘‘the valleys of the mountains”’ 

through the aid thus extended. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 121 


It devolved upon President Richards to introduce 
the project to the British Saints and put it into opera- 
tion among them. The response was generous. Within 
four years after its introduction in Great Britain 6,832 
pounds sterling were contributed to the cause. 

President Richards sent the first company that 
was forwarded under the new system. ‘'T'wo ves- 
sels were chartered and dispatched under this agency, 
in January and February of 1852, and two hundred and 
fifty-one Saints were thus emigrated. This being the 
initial operation of such a fund, with no precedent 
available for guidance, it required careful and wise 
deliberation to adopt plans that would properly carry 
through this branch of the emigration. It was neces- 
sary to put in charge of the companies practical and 
experienced men of good judgment, in order to success- 
fully enforce the rules for the government of the Saints 
en route. 

In May, following the departure of these emi- 
grants, President Richards, having been released to 
return home, announced his brother Samuel as his suc- 
cessor. The latter had arrived in England a short time 
before, and had been appointed to the Liverpool Office, 
that he might prepare himself for his important charge. 

On the sixth day of April the presidents of the 
British conferences had held a meeting in London, at 
which it was resolved that the following memorial be 
presented to the retiring president: 

‘‘Beloved Brother Franklin D. Richards: As you 
are about to return to Zion, permit us the gratification 
of presenting you with this expression of our high ad- 
miration of you and the gratitude which we feel in 


ie FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


remembering the manifold blessings which have been 
conferred upon us during the period of your presidency. 

‘*You have earnestly and affectionately sought to 
promote our happiness, usefulness, integrity and honor, 
and we rejoice in the means by which this has been 
accomplished. 

‘“We rejoice when we remember the counsels given 
by you for our guidance, evincing a love of virtue and 
holiness, and a gentleness most winsome—so that we 
have been allured into obedience by a love that was 
resistless, rather than by a mere sense of duty that 
constrained. 

‘*Your predecessor taught us maxims and principles 
of truth, weighty and sublime. It has been yours to 
teach us how to apply them, not only with wisdom that 
enlightens, but also with a love that mellows the feel- 
ings and subdues the soul, expanding the heart and 
inspiring the mind with undying resolutions to success- 
fully finish the work we came here to do, and thereby 
secure an inheritance in the kingdom of God. 

‘‘When we sing the songs of Zion we shall think 
with grateful gladness of you whose inspired choice led 
to the selection of those of transcendent beauty and 
thrilling sentiment. 

‘“We express the admiration we feel, and the edi- 
fication we have received from your past labors as 
Editor of the ‘Millennial Star,’ and rejoice that it is 
published weekly. In stereotyping and publishing in 
such splendid workmanship the Book of Mormon, the 
Doctrine and Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and 
also in establishing the Perpetual Emigration Fund in 
England, by which so many already have been emi- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 123 


grated to Zion, you have surrounded your name with a 
halo of glory that will shed its lustre to unborn genera- 
tions. 

‘‘In your administration you have shown how 
potent the sway which love, wisely manifested, can 
exercise, and the willing obedience it can obtain. 

‘“We ask God, our heavenly Father, to convey 
you in safety to your loved ones and to the society of 
those tried and princely men who bear rule in Zion. 

‘‘Farewell, dear Brother Franklin. May your 
career be constantly upward and onward until you 
ultimately attain to a perfect condition of exaltation 
and glory.’’ 

On the 8th of May, Franklin D. Richards and 
Erastus Snow embarked on the steamship ‘’ Africa”’ 
for New York. Landing at that port and proceeding 
westward, they overtook the season’s company of 
Saints, who were then nearing their journey’s end, and 
returned with the convoy that came out to escort them 
into Salt Lake City. The day before their arrival 
they were met by friends and relatives, laden with 
luscious melons and other fruits for the delectation of 
the weary travelers. The joyous greetings of welcome 
made the hills and valleys ring. They camped that 
night on the east side of Little Mountain, and in the 
afternoon of August 20, 1852, our Apostle was once 
more at home in the midst of his family. All were well, 
and happy in spirit over his safe return. Says he: ‘‘My 
heart was full to overflowing for the unceasing and 
unbounded goodness of God unto me and mine.’’ 


CHAPTER XIT 
AGAIN IN EUROPE 


President of the Church in the British Islands and Adjacent Countries— 
Letter of Appointment—Samuel W. Richards and the House of Commons 
Committee on Emigrant Ships—Changes in Emigration Route and Mission 
Headquarters—An Ethnological Basis—Karl G. Maeser’s Conversion—Letter 
from President Jedediah M. Grant—Emigrational Statistics—The British 
Mission at its Zenith—Stalwart Helpers—Tullidge’s Poem of Appreciation— 
Home Once More. 

President Richards had been at home but two 
years, when he was again called on a mission to Europe. 
He accepted the call with his usual promptness, and 
the 4th of June, 1854, found him again at Liverpool. His 
letter of appointment read as follows: 


‘*T'o all to whom these letters shall come, greeting: 
‘‘Hider Franklin D. Richards, a member of the 
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, is hereby delegated 
to repair to England to preach the Gospel, print, pub- 
lish, superintend the emigration, and preside over all 
the conferences and all affairs of the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Islands and 
adjacent countries; and we call upon all the Saints to 
give diligent heed to his teachings, and follow his coun- 
sel in all things, for in so doing they will be blessed. 
“Done at Great Salt Lake City, Territory of Utah, 
United States of America, this 24th day of March, 1854, 
and signed for and in behalf of said Church by the 
presiding council thereof. 
‘Brigham Young, 
Heber C. Kimball, 
First Presidency.”’ 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 125 


Willard Richards, second counselor in the First 
Presidency, had died on the 11th of March, about two 
weeks before that letter was signed. His successor, 
Jedediah M. Grant, was not installed until the follow- 
ing April. This accounts for the absence of a third 
signature. 

This appointment bespoke a consolidation of the 
several European mission fields—British, French, 
Scandinavian, Swiss and Italian. In other words, it 
was an appointment to preside over the entire Kuro- 
pean Mission, including all the Continental fields then 
open, and others that might be opened thereafter. 

In advising the Saints of his new appointment, 
President Richards said: 


‘* By the foregoing it will be seen that although the 
work of the Lord is very great in Britain, the field of 
my watcheare and labor is extended to the adjacent 
countries of Europe. The presidents of the several 
missions are hereby requested to communicate with me, 
at this office, on the conditions and prospects of their 
several fields of labor, in their temporal and spiritual 
aspects, at their earliest convenience, together with any 
suggestions which they may feel to make concerning 
the same, that we may be enabled more efficiently to 
co-operate in promoting our welfare and growth.”’ 

Scandinavia—next to Britain the most prolific of 
our foreign mission fields—was opened by Erastus 
Snow; France by John Taylor; Italy and Switzerland 
by Lorenzo Snow. These Apostles, upon their depar- 
ture for Utah, had instructed the Elders left by them 
in charge to look for counsel to President Samuel W. 
Richards, at Liverpool; but this was not equivalent to 


126 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


an appointment to preside over the Kuropean Mission. 
Franklin D. Richards was the first to bear the title 
and wield the authority of the enlarged presidential 
position. 

Samuel W. Richards was now released from his 
presidency. Before taking leave of him, however, it is 
fitting that we mention a very interesting episode of 
his experience, concerning which the ‘Millennial 
Star’’ has this to say: 

‘‘Some time previous to Brother Samuel Rich- 
ards’ departure from these shores, he received a com- 
munication from John O’Connell, Esq., M. P., chairman 
of a select committee of the House of Commons on 
emigrant ships, requesting his attendance or appear- 
ance before said committee, to answer such inquiries 
as might be made upon the subject of emigration, ete. 
Accordingly Brother Samuel repaired to the House of 
Commons, and underwent the contemplated examina- 
tion.’’ 

The London ‘correspondent of the ‘‘Cambridge 
Independent Press,’’ dilated upon the same incident 
as follows: 

‘‘On Tuesday I heard a rather remarkable exam- 
ination before a committee of the House of Commons. 
The witness was no other than the supreme authority 
in England of the Mormonites, and the subject upon 
which he was giving information was the mode in which 
the emigration to Utah, Great Salt Lake, is conducted. 
The curious personage is named Richards; he is an 
American by birth; is a dark, rather good-looking man; 
I should judge, of fair education, and certainly of more 
than average intelligence. He gave himself no airs, 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 127 


but was so respectful in his demeanor and ready in his 
answers, that, at the close of his examination, he re- 
ceived the thanks of the committee in rather a marked 
manner. According to his statements about 2,600 Mor- 
monite emigrants leave Liverpool during the first three 
months of every year. They have ships of their own, 
and are under the care of a president. The average 
cost of the journey to Utah is about 30 pounds—that 
is, to steerage passengers. On arriving at New Orleans, 
they are received by another president, who returns 
to Mr. Richards an account of the state in which he 
found the ship, ete. They have then 3,000 miles to go, 
and after leaving the Mississippi, 1,000 miles are tra- 
versed overland in wagons. * * * There is one 
thing which, in the opinion of the emigration committee 
of the House of Commons, they can do—viz., teach 
Christian ship owners how to send poor people de- 
cently, cheaply and healthfully across the Atlantic.”’ 

In 1855 the route of emigration was changed. 
Theretofore, it had been by way of New Orleans; but 
finding that ship fever began to appear in the long 
voyages to that port, and fearing that this condition 
superinduced cholera on the frontiers of the Mississippi 
and Missouri valleys, where the migrating Saints had 
suffered much from that scourge, the Church Author- 
ities favored a shorter, healthier, and more northerly 
route. About this time, also, the Congress of the 
United States and the Parliament of Great Britain 
were engaged in revising their emigration laws. It 
was this that led the committee of Parliament to invite 
Samuel W. Richards before them; and now his brother 
Franklin, in order to test the operation of the new law, 


128 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


sent ‘‘Mormon’’ emigrants in ships to Philadelphia, 
Boston, and New York. The experiment proved that 
Castle Gardens, New York, afforded the best facilities 
for receiving and forwarding emigrants to the interior. 
Consequently, New York was chosen as the port of 
debarkation, and subsequent experience abundantly 
proved the wisdom of that choice. In fact, shipping 
arrangements made by President Franklin D. Rich- 
ards in 1854-1856, have been followed as the basis of 
emigration to this day. > 

The change of the emigrational business, and the 
organic unity of the Huropean Mission, made necessary 
an enlargement of the official headquarters at Liver- 
pool. The old office in Wilton Street was vacated, and 
from April 1st, 1855, until the spring of 1904, 42 Isling- 
ton (numbered 36 Islington at the time) was the head- 
quarters of all the Church business in foreign lands. 
Tens of thousands of Saints crossed its thresholds on 
their way to Utah, while thousands of missionaries 
from America knocked at its doors for assignment to 
their fields of labor. 

In the emigrational report for 1856, President 
Richards gave the following classified statement of 
the emigrants shipped under his agency:—From the 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: Eng- 
lish, 2,231; Scotch, 401; Welsh, 287; Irish, 28. From 
the French Mission, including France and the Channel 
Islands, 75. The total number from the Scandinavian 
Mission was 533, of which there were Danes, 409; 
Swedes, 71; Norwegians, 53. The total number from 
the Swiss and Italian Mission, 30—from the Swiss 
Cantons, 15; and from Piedmont in Italy, 15. There 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 129 


were also 13 Germans and one Prussian. A total of 
3629. This report will give the reader a fair under- 
standing of the ethnological basis of our Utah popula- 
tion. 

In September, 1855, President Richards made a 
visit to the Continent, accompanied by Elders John L. 
Smith and Wiliam H. Kimball. This visit was to the 
Swiss and Italian mission field. After a month’s ab- 
sence the President returned to Liverpool to ascertain 
the condition of affairs, and four days later set out 
again, in company with Elder Kimball, intending to 
visit Germany, France, Switzerland and Sardinia. 

Some time previous to this a professor in the city 
of Dresden, Karl G. Maeser by name, had written to 
Elder Daniel Tyler, who presided in Switzerland, en- 
quiring about the ‘‘new doctrines,’’ concerning which 
he had heard and desired to learn more. His request 
had been forwarded to President Richards, who forth- 
with appointed Elder Wiliam Budge, then presiding 
in the Cambridge conference, to visit Dresden and im- 
part the desired information. He was to go as a private 
instructor to the family of Professor Maeser, who had 
suggested this plan of procedure, there being no reli- 
gious liberty in that land—no opportunity to publicly 
proclaim the Gospel. Elder Budge carried out his 
instructions, and soon the word reached Liverpool that 
several persons in Dresden were ready for baptism and 
desired to be organized into a branch. When President 
Richards and Elder Kimball set out for the Continent, 
one of their objects was to attend to these matters. 
Accordingly, on the 14th of October eight persons were 
baptized in the River Elbe, and on the following Sun- 


9 


13U FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


day, at the Maeser home, they were confirmed and 
organized into a branch, a presiding Hlder being or- 
dained for that purpose. 

One of those baptized was Doctor Karl G. Maeser. 
The Latter-day Saints Biographical Encyclopedia 
(page 708) relates the incident as follows: 

‘‘On the night of October 14, 1855, the three Elders 
(Franklin D. Richards, William Budge and William H. 
Kimball), Dr. Maeser, Edward Schoenfeldt and some 
others, repaired to the banks of the historic Elbe, in 
which river Dr. Maeser was baptized by Apostle Rich- 
ards. It was the first baptism in Saxony in this dis- 
pensation. After performing the baptism the party 
started back toward the home of Dr. Maeser. The only 
Elder who could talk German was William Budge, and 
the conversation was carried on between Apostle Rich- 
ards and Dr. Maeser, with Elder Budge acting ag in- 
terpreter. The colloquy had not proceeded far, how- 
ever, when Apostle Richards told Elder Budge that it 
was not necessary for him to interpret any more, as 
he and Brother Maeser could ‘understand each other 
perfectly.’ Brother Schoenfeldt relates that it was a 
very dark night, and when he first realized that the 
two men were conversing together with perfect facility, 
yet neither understood the native tongue of the other, 
his feelings were indescribable, for he knew that it was 
a divine manifestation. Dr. Maeser, in later years, testi- 
fied that when he emerged from the water, he prayed 
that his faith might be confirmed by some manifesta- 
tion from heaven, and he felt confident that his prayer 
would be answered.’’ 

Dr. Maeser came to Utah, taught school for many 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 131 


years in Salt Lake City, and then filled a mission to his 
native land. In 1876 he organized at Provo the Brig- 
ham Young Academy, which became the Brigham 
Young University, and was the first president of that 
splendid scholastic institution. Subsequently he was 
made General Superintendent of Church Schools; and 
up to the day of his death continued to wield a wonder- 
ful influence for good over the young people of Zion. 

At a banquet given in honor of the venerable 
educator, in 1892, Apostle Richards, referring to the 
baptismal incident, said: ‘* Brother Maeser, how blessed 
it was that the gift of tongues and interpretation was 
given to us; it always caused me joy. Brother Maeser 
did not know English, and I did not know German, but 
IT could speak with him, and he with me. The Spirit 
wrought with us and filled us with faith.”’ 

There existed between Franklin D. Richards and 
William Budge a strong friendship, which was enlarged 
until it included Karl G. Maeser. It was an attachment 
of the sweetest and most enduring character, doubtless 
extending into the Great Beyond. Nothing in this 
world so cements human hearts as pure and holy asso- 
ciation in the service of the Lord; and in the wider 
field of activity to which those worthies have gone, 
such feelings must be intensified a hundred fold. 

As an evidence of the cordial relations and broth- 
erly affection existing between President Richards and 
the heads of the Church, we here present the following 
excerpt of a letter received by him while in England 
from President Jedediah M. Grant: 

‘* All the good wishes or good spirit I can send you, 
in thought or word, I send in the name of the Lord, and 


132 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


say, receive ye the spirit that makes us happy, the 
Spirit of God that dwells in Zion, the spirit of Brigham 
and Heber and all good men; may the same rest upon 
you and fill you to overflowing, that your words may 
be the words of eternal life; sweet, yea sweeter than the 
honeycomb. Heaven protect and bless you in your 
extended field of labor. We met when boys, and loved 
as only those can love who know the Lord. As we ap- 
proach to manhood may our love increase, being fed 
from the great fountain. 

‘That which interests you is equally dear to me in 
the building up of our Father’s kingdom. We are 
one; our Father and our God has in his providence 
called us and placed upon us the same eternal Priest- 
hood, and given us light enough to see and feel our 
nothingness, and the folly of this adulterous generation. 
Nevertheless, we have joy in our labors to aid Brother 
Brigham to carry out the work that Joseph began for 
the redemption of Israel and the overthrow of the 
wicked.’’ 

Here are some figures culled from the statistical 
table of the British Mission at that period. The ad- 
ministration of President Orson Pratt closed in 1850, 
with 30,647 members of the Church in the British Isles. 
In Franklin D. Richards’ administration, the numbers 
rose to 32,894, with fifty-one conferences and seven 
hundred and forty-two branches. This marks the high 
tide of the British Mission. It was now at its zenith. 
Franklin and his brother Samuel emigrated 14,364 Lat- 
ter-day Saints, and during the years 1854-1856, there 
was an increase of nearly sixteen thousand souls by 
baptism. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 133 


The financial status of the mission also reached 
the highest point of credit and capacity at that period. 
At times, during the seasons of emigration, this agency 
had on deposit in the banks of Liverpool and London 
as much as thirty thousand pounds ($150,000). 
The credit of the mission was so sound and the confi- 
dence in it so complete, that the great shipping com- 
panies dealt with it very much as they would have 
done with the government of a nation with first class 
credit. This gave President Richards power to deal 
with the shipping companies on the most advantageous 
terms for the emigrating people. The vessels chartered 
by him were, for the time being, in the service of the 
Church; and the sea captains and their officers held the 
Saints in special charge. ‘‘Upon the shoulders of the 
Philistines’’ Israel was flying ‘‘toward the West.”’ 

Commensurate with the showing in the emigra- 
tional record, were the missionary operations, as splen- 
didly effectual as the administrative organization was 

well-nigh perfect. 

And yet calamity must needs take its toll—as if 
envious of so much success and prosperity. Four com- 
panies of emigrants, sailing from Liverpool in the sum- 
mer of 1856, bound for Salt Lake City, crossed the 
plains with handcarts, manufactured for them on the 
Iowa frontier. Two of these companies, making a 
seasonable start from the Missouri River, had a pros- 
perous trip and a safe arrival at their destination, thus 
demonstrating the feasibility of the hand-cart project. 
But the remaining two companies, delayed in their 
preparations for the overland journey, and starting too 
late in the season, suffered severely by being caught in 


134 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


the unusually early snows and wintry winds along the 
Platte and the Sweetwater. Sad to tell, many perished; 
though the main body was rescued by relief parties sent 
out from Salt Lake Valley. 

There was a remarkable array of missionaries 
under President ‘Franklin D. Richards. George B. 
Wallace and Daniel Spencer were his counselors during 
much of the time; John Jaques and Edward W. Tul- 
lidge assisted with the ‘‘Star;’’ and among the travel- 
ing Elders were such strong pillars as William Budge, 
afterwards president of Bear Lake Stake and later 
president of the Logan Temple; Charles W. Penrose, 
now (1924) one of the First Presidency of the Church; 
George Teasdale, who became an Apostle; Thomas 
Wallace, Cyrus H. Wheelock, and many more. 

His mission at an end, President Richards and 
Elder Wheelock—who was then his counselor—accom- 
panied by Elders Joseph A. Young, William C. Dunbar, 
James Linforth and family, sailed July 26, 1856, for 
New York, on the steamer ‘‘ Asia.’’ He arrived at the 
Missouri River September 3rd, and on the 4th of Octo- 
ber reached Salt Lake City. He had been succeeded 
at Liverpool by President Orson Pratt, who had this 
to say editorially: 

‘‘In noticing the departure of these our brethren 
from the field of their labors, it is difficult to express 
those warm feelings of approval and blessing towards 
them which fill our bosom and which, we are confident, 
will meet with a cordial response in the hearts of 
thousands of faithful Saints to whom, through the rich 
blessings of the Lord, they have so abundantly admin- 
istered the principles of present and eternal salvation. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 135 


‘‘Hor nearly ten years Presidents Richards and 
Wheelock have spent most of their time in laboring 
in the ministry in Britain; and, from the beginning, a 
constant and abundant increase of strength and power 
in the Priesthood has been manifested, in the growth 
and efficiency of their labors. 

‘During the past two years, in which Elder Rich- 
ards has presided over the churches in Hurope, some 
eight thousand Saints have left its shores for the land 
of Ephraim. When the circumstances under which 
this great work of gathering has been accomplished are 
taken into consideration, in addition to the many other 
complicated duties that have devolved upon him, it is 
evident that he has sought diligently after, and has 
had the revelations of Heaven to guide him in the plans 
and devices of his heart; and that the Lord has had 
great regard for him in making him an instrument in 
accomplishing his mighty purposes in the earth. 

‘*Brother Franklin has not only had the revela- 
tions of the Spirit to guide him, but he has sought after 
the counsels of the Prophet Brigham, and when he 
has received them he has also had the light of the same 
spirit in which they were given to direct him in carry- 
ing them out; hence, constant success has attended his 
labors, and they have been crowned with blessings to 
himself as an Apostle of Jesus, to the Saints under 
his immediate charge, and to the general interests of 
the Kingdom of God on the earth. 

‘‘A rapid extension of the work of the gathering 
has been a prominent feature of his administration, the 
last great act of which—the introduction of the prac- 
tice of the law of tithing among the Saints in Hurope— 


136 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


is a fitting close to his extensive and important labors. 

‘“We receive the work from the hands of President 
Richards with great satisfaction and pleasure, on ac- 
count of the healthy and flourishing condition in which 
we find it. During much of his mission he has labored 
under great bodily debility and weakness, and we trust 
that the thousands of Saints in Europe will unite their 
faith and prayers with ours, that he may experience a 
great renewal of the spirit and power of life, health and 
strength, upon him during his journey home, and ever 
after; and that he may not lack in any good thing to 
cheer his heart, and enable him to fulfill the duties of 
his holy ecalling.’’ 

The following poetic tribute fell from the pen of 
Edward W. Tullidge: 


Heroes and kings, and those of rank and name, 
All find a page within the “Book of Fame,” 
And artists’ pencils to their stumps are worn, 
To trace the likeness which these men have borne, 
And brains are racked to write an eulogy 

On some great man—great, perhaps, by flattery. 
‘What noble bearing—majesty of mien! 

‘An eye commanding, penetration keen; 
‘Reflection deep, and comprehension broad, 
‘He’s more than man—a very demi-god!’ 

Such is the stuff we read, mere senseless sound, 
In penning like, let not my hand be found. 
And yet I'll beggar this and still be true; 

Ye Saints and brethren, I appeal to you 

To say, if on your ears I make discord, 

‘When I strike my one, my only chord. 

It is that Franklin has a magic skill— 

Power to mould his brethren to his will, 

The gift to play upon the human soul, 

To win our love, our hearts control, 

Which, though we lose, yet do we feel to gain; 
The conquest give us pleasure and not pain. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 137 


‘When, in obedience to God’s high command, 

We march behind the leaders of our band, 

To follow such we’re proud and honor’d, too, 
No doubting that they ever will be true. 

In Israel’s heart his name and mem’ry live, 

No higher praise than this my pen can give. 
Though bloody conquest gives to men renown, 
And makes the millions tremble at their frown, 
Though learning, skill, and comprehensive mind, 
May claim the admiration of mankind, 

Yet, greater far is he who acts the part 

Which wins the homage of the human heart. 

And who in this our Franklin can excel? 

How few there are who conquer hearts so well, 
By whom the key is better understood, 

To make subordinates and friends “feel good.” 
Before I close, one truth I will reveal, 

Though some shall question, yet ’tis true I feel— 
However much we may admire the mind— 

Great hearts and not great heads will rule mankind. 


In a discourse delivered at Salt Lake City, the day 
after his arrival from England, the Apostle said: | 

‘*In the past ten years I have been sent to England 
on three missions; and out of that ten years I have been 
absent from home something over seven years. I 
have made a good many acquaintances and friends in 
the Old Country; I have labored with joy, and God has 
blessed me. My heart has been made glad, that I have 
been enabled to bless others. 

‘‘During the last two years, we have sent out 
eight thousand Saints; and nearly double that number 
have been added to the Church by baptism. I fear 
that I have almost become a stranger in Israel; there 
are but few that I am acquainted with here, and it 
helps me to appreciate the privilege of getting home 
and of seeing Brothers Brigham and Heber and Jede- 
diah and the Saints of Zion.”’ 


138 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


He arrived in time to take part in the great move- 
ment known as ‘‘The Reformation,’’ by means of which 
the Church purged itself of evil-doers, and was 
strengthened by a renewal of covenants on the part of 
the faithful and the penitent. The ensuing ten years 
he spent at home in Utah. 


CHAPTER XIII 
MILITARY SERVICE 


The Nauvoo Legion in Illinois and in Utah—Brigadier General Franklin 
D. Richards—The Echo Canyon Campaign—Mission of Colonel Samuel W. 
Richards—Colonel Kane and Mediation—The Move South—Peace Restored— 
Commander of Weber-Box Elder Military District—Member of Territorial 
Military Board—Militia Forbidden to Train—The Legion Abolished. 


One of the first acts of the Provisional Govern- 
ment of Deseret—an act perpetuated by the Territory 
of Utah—was that authorizing the organization of the 
militia, under the reminiscent title of ‘‘The Nauvoo 
Legion,’’ a name dear to the earliest citizens of the 
commonwealth. The Legion, as organized at Nauvoo 
in 1841, was modeled with some variations after the 
Roman Legion, and consisted originally of six com- 
panies, divided into two brigades or cohorts. Later it 
ageregated several thousand troops. The Prophet 
Joseph Smith was its Lieutenant-General, a title ap- 
proved by the Legislature of [linois when it granted 
the Nauvoo charter. Under Lieutenant-General Smith 
were a Major General, two Brigadier-Generals, and 
other subordinate officers. The Legion, though in some 
respects independent of the State Militia, was a recog- 
nized part thereof, and consequently under the author- 
ity of the Governor as commander-in-chief. 

In Utah the Legion was organized after the pat- 
tern set in Illinois, although further modifications be- 
came necessary as time passed and the militia increased 
in numbers. President Brigham Young had succeeded 
the Prophet as Lieutenant-General, and Daniel H. 


140 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


Wells was Major-General, an office held by the Pa- 
triarch Hyrum Smith at the time of the martyrdom. 
But President Young, as Governor of Deseret and 
subsequently Governor of Utah, was ex-officio com- 
mander-in-chief of the militia, and could not consist- 
ently be at the same time its Lieutenant-General. 
Consequently this position was given to General Wells. 
Brigadier-General Jedediah M. Grant commanded the 
cavalry cohort, and Brigadier-General Horace 8S. El- 
dredge, the infantry. Two companies comprised the 
artillery. Nearly all the able-bodied men in the State 
were enrolled in the Legion, which held its regular 
musters and drills, and had its reviews and sham battles 
generally in the autumn of the year. As the settle- 
ments extended, and the numbers of the Legion multi- 
plied, military districts were organized in various parts 
of Utah, each district covering one or more counties of 
the Territory. 

In Illinois the Nauvoo Legion was designed as a 
protection against. lawless mobs, from whose outrages 
the ‘‘Mormon’’ people had suffered so severely in Mis- 
souri, and were fated to suffer still more in Illinois, 
where at first they were hospitably received and 
treated kindly. There were no mobs in Utah—they 
had been left far behind; but there were Indians, even 
more cruel and barbarous—which is saying a great deal 
—and the need of an armed force, a legally constituted 
citizen soldiery, to repel savage assaults and act as a 
restraint upon the red men when inclined to be hostile, 
was apparent to all. Moreover, there might come a 
time when armed forces would invade Utah, to ‘‘wipe 
out the Mormons,’’ or at least repeat the harsh treat- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 141 


ment meted out to them in earlier days. ‘‘God Al- 
mighty being my helper, it shall not be,’’ said Brigham 
Young; and in this spirit the Utah ‘‘ Nauvoo Legion,”’’ 
like its [llinois prototype, came into existence. 

On the 20th of April, of the fateful year 1857, 
Franklin D. Richards was elected Brigadier-General 
of the Second Brigade of Infantry, Nauvoo Legion; and 
soon after he was commissioned as such by the Gover- 
nor of Utah. ; 

July 24th of that year was the tenth anniversary of 
the entrance of the Pioneers into Salt Lake Valley. It 
was made the occasion of an elaborate celebration—the 
place selected for the purpose being a little mountain 
vale surrounding Silver Lake, at the head of Big Cot- 
tonwood Canyon. Today the place is commonly known 
as Brighton. To this point hundreds of the inhabitants 
of Salt Lake City and adjacent settlements, including 
Governor Brigham Young and other dignitaries, gath- 
ered to participate in the proceedings and festivities 
that had been planned. 

As customary with the ‘‘Mormon”’ people in all 
their patriotic assemblies, the American flag was 
hoisted and unfurled, and under its waving folds the 
celebration began. The merry-making was at its 
height when A. O. Smoot, Mayor of Salt Lake City, 
rode into camp dusty and tired, having driven with all 
possible speed from Fort Laramie, bringing the start- 
ling news that transmission of the mails for Utah from 
the Eastern States had been suspended through in- 
structions from Washington, and that a United States 
army was marching or preparing to march to the Terri- 
tory. Mayor Smoot was accompanied by Orrin Porter 


142 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


Rockwell and Judson L. Stoddard, who had driven with 
him from Laramie, and by Elias A. Smith, postmaster 
of Salt Lake City. 

The Government at Washington had been led to 
believe that a condition of lawlessness and rebellion 
against the national authority existed in Utah, and that 
troops were required to restore order. 

W. W. Drummond, an Associate Justice of the 
Territory, who had left Utah before his term of office 
expired, in his written resignation to the Attorney 
General of the United States, mailed at New Orleans, 
had grossly misrepresented the situation here. He 
alleged that the Supreme Court records at Salt Lake 
City had been destroyed, with the direct knowledge 
and approval of Governor Brigham Young; that fed- 
eral officials had been insulted for questioning the 
treasonable act, and that a state of affairs existed 
which called for a change in the governorship, and for 
military aid to enable the new executive to perform 
the duties of his office. Judge Drummond also inti- 
mated that the murder of Captain John W. Gunnison— 
a railroad surveyor friendly to the ‘‘ Mormons,’’ killed 
by Indians on the Sevier River in 1853; the death of 
Judge Leonidas Shaver, of the Utah Supreme Court, 
who died of abscess on the brain at Salt Lake City in 
1895; and the killing of Almon W. Babbitt—‘*‘ Mormon”’ 
Secretary of the Territory, who was slain by Cheyenne 
Indians while returning to Utah from the East in 1856 
—had all been caused and directed by the leading 
authorities of the ‘‘ Mormon”’ Church. 

The truth of these charges was promptly denied, 
and Judge Drummond was accused of acting from 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 143 


motives of revenge. It was claimed by those whom he 
assailed that his resignation and departure were due 
to an exposure of certain immoral acts which had 
caused all Utah to ring with his shame. Curtis E. 
Bolton, Deputy Clerk of the Supreme Court of Utah, 
wrote to the Attorney General over his official signa- 
ture and seal, testifying that the records said to have 
been destroyed were safe in his keeping, and offering 
to refute by records, dates and facts, all that Judge 
Drummond had asserted. The offer was not accepted. 

The Authorities at Washington had on file a com- 
munication received six years earlier from Perry E. 
Brocchus, another Federal judge sent from the East to 
hold office in Utah, in which he referred to the ‘‘law- 
less acts and seditious tendencies of a majority of the 
residents’”’ of this Territory. In like vein ran a letter 
to President Buchanan from W. M. FE’. Magraw, a mail 
contractor who had failed to secure a renewal of his 
contract to carry the mail between Salt Lake City and 
Independence, Missouri, because a ‘‘Mormon’’ had 
underbid him. In his letter to the President, Magraw 
stated that there was ‘‘left no vestige of law and order 
in Utah.”’ 

The Utah Expedition—such is its title in United 
States military history—was sent forth only a few 
years before the outbreak of the Civil War, at a time 
when it was decidedly to the advantage of the Southern 
States to have as much as possible of the national 
army, with large supplies of ammunition and equip- 
ment, located in parts remote from the scene of the im- 
pending struggle, or in other places where they would 
not be available to the Federal authorities when the war 


144 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


broke out. Indeed, this was the policy acted upon by 
Secretary of War Floyd, a rank secessionist, and others 
like him then connected with the Government at. Wash- 
ington. Salt Lake City was more than a thousand 
miles from the nearest railroad, and it is a significant 
fact that at that critical period in the history of the 
nation—when men and money could least be spared— 
nearly one-third of its war material and the majority 
of its best troops were locked up in this distant and al- 
most inaccessible region, having been sent here to sup- 
press a rebellion that did not exist. 

H. H. Bancroft, in his history of Utah (page 504), 
gives this summary of the reasons for that military ex- 
pedition: ‘‘Thus, in part through the stubbornness of 
the Mormons, but in part also through the malice of a 
dissolute and injudicious judge, the spite of a disap- 
pointed mail contractor, the wire-pulling of birds of 
prey at Washington, and possibly in accordance with 
the policy of the President, who until the Confederate 
flag had been unfurled at Fort Sumter, retained in the 
Valley of Great Salt Lake nearly all the available 
forces in the Union Army and a store of munitions of 
war sufficient to furnish an arsenal, was brought about 
the Utah War.”’ 

The ‘‘Mormon’’ people have always been loyal 
and law-abiding. Their religion requires it of them. In 
Missouri and Illinois they had petitioned the State and 
Federal government repeatedly for redress of griev- 
ances and for protection against mob violence; but a 
deaf ear had been turned to their petitions. And yet, 
after being driven from their homes and in the darkest 
hours of their painful westward pilgrimage, they had 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 145 


promptly met the request of the Government for five 
hundred men to assist in the war against Mexico. The 
Mormon Battalion had helped to conquer the very re- 
gion that the ‘‘Mormon’’ people were now occupying, 
and which was then Mexican soil. Here the Pioneers 
raised the Stars and Stripes, because of their love for 
and devotion to the Constitution of their country, from 
whose borders they had just been cruelly expelled. 

Loyal and law-abiding still, conscious of no offence 
against the Government or its authorized representa- 
tives, they could not be convinced that the Expedition 
sent to Utah portended anything but evil. It looked 
like a movement for their destruction, or at least an- 
other expulsion from their hard-earned homes. 

They determined, therefore, to oppose the advance 
of the troops, and if possible prevent them from enter- 
ing Salt Lake Valley. Meanwhile they proposed to 
acquaint the Government with the true situation, hop- 
ing that a peaceful adjustment of differences would 
follow. Should this hope fail, they would lay waste 
their farms and fields, set fire to their towns and vil- 
lages, and retreat into the mountains or into the south- 
ern wilderness. 

Governor Young, on September 15, 1857, proclaim- 
ed Utah under martial law, and forbade all armed 
forces to enter the Territory. Shortly afterwards the 
militia took the field, to repel the approaching invaders. 
About twelve hundred and fifty men, under General 
Daniel H. Wells, concentrated at once in Echo Can- 
yon. General Richards ordered out four hundred men 
of his brigade with ammunition and supplies, and re- 
ported for service to General Wells at headquarters. 


146 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


Echo Canyon, the main route through the moun- 
tains from Fort Bridger, commanded all the passes and 
defiles leading directly to Salt Lake Valley. The main 
body of the militia were stationed at a point called 
‘‘The Narrows,’’ where rugged and precipitous cliffs 
formed a natural bulwark, from behind which, it was 
thought a small force could hold in check a large army. 

General Richards aided in receiving the gathering 
militiamen, and in directing operations at that point. 
Under orders from General Wells trenches were dug 
and dams constructed at intervals across the canyon, 
so that it might be flooded, while rocks and boulders 
were piled upon the heights, for use against the Gov- 
ernment troops if they attempted to force a passage. 

While this work was going on, the cavalry under 
Colonel Robert 'T’. Burton went forward to reconnoiter. 
The militia were ordered not to take human life, but to 
annoy the troops and hinder their progress as much as 
possible. This was done with marked success, Major 
Lot Smith and others carrying the order into effect. 
The vegetation growing along the route, before and on 
the flanks of the invaders, was burned; the roads in 
front of them were blocked by felling trees and destroy- 
ing river fords; some of their supply trains were set 
fire to and consumed, and many of their animals stam- 
peded and driven away. 

In November the invading force was still thirty- 
five miles from Fort Bridger. Fifteen days were con- 
sumed by them in reaching that point. The country 
traversed was a frozen desert, swept by biting wintry 
blasts, accompanied by falling snow and sleet. Some 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 147 


of the soldiers were severely frost-bitten, and many of 
their cattle perished. 

The Utah rangers, slowly retiring before the ad- 
vancing troops, burned Fort Bridger, and then took 
refuge behind the rocky breastworks in Echo Canyon. 
Finding only ruins where he had hoped to find a fort, 
and the season being so late, General Albert Sidney 
Johnston, who was in command of the Expedition, 
abandoned the project of pushing through the moun- 
tains that year, and went into winter quarters on 
Black’s Fork. There he established Camp Scott, named 
after Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott, head of the 
United States Army. 

More than two thousand militiamen were now in 
the field. In addition to General Wells, who had 
charge of the campaign, the officers at the front were 
Generals Franklin D. Richards and George D. Grant, 
Colonels Chauncey W. West, Nathaniel V. Jones, 
Robert IT. Burton, Thomas Callister, Philemon C. 
Merrill, and others of less rank. With the exception 
of fifty men, under Captain John R. Winder, who were 
left to guard Echo Canyon and its approaches, the citi- 
zen soldiers returned to their homes for the winter. 

Samuel W. Richards was also prominent in the 
military movements of that period. Commissioned a 
Lieutenant-Colonel by Governor Young, he was chosen 
by the great leader for a very important service. In 
the summer of 1857, as soon as it was decided to place 
Utah under martial law, he was sent with a special 
message to President Buchanan, informing him that 
his army could not enter Utah until satisfactory ar- 
rangements had been made by commission or other- 


148 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


wise. This message was delivered to the President by 
Colonel Thomas L. Kane, who afterwards played the 
part of mediator between the Chief Magistrate and the 
‘‘Mormon’’ people. After delivering to Colonel Kane 
the dispatch sent by Utah’s Executive, Colonel Rich- 
ards crossed the Atlantic, carrying instructions to the 
‘‘Mormon’’ missionaries in Hurope to return as soon as 
possible. 

Through the mediation of Colonel Kane, Governor 
Alfred Cumming, who had been appointed to succeed 
Governor Young, and was with the army at Camp Scott, 
agreed, much to the displeasure of General Johnston, to 
go to Salt Lake City without the troops. He started on 
April 5, 1858. Outside the Federal lines he was met by 
a body of cavalry under General William H. Kimball 
and escorted through Echo and Weber Canyons to Salt 
Lake City. Everywhere, according to his own official 
report, he was recognized as Governor and treated 
with courtesy and respect. He found the court records, 
alleged by Judge Drummond to have been destroyed, 
‘‘nerfect and unimpaired.’’ 

Subsequently Peace Commissioners were sent by 
President Buchanan, and at a meeting between them 
and the ‘‘Mormon”’ leaders, it was agreed that John- 
ston’s Army should come into the Valley, but not to 
stay permanently. It was not to be quartered within 
forty miles of Salt Lake City. A full and free pardon 
was granted by the President, and accepted by the 
leading citizens for themselves and the community at 
large, so far as it related to such acts as the destruction 
of the Government supply trains and the running off of 
the army cattle—many of which were returned. But 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 149 


Governor Young and his associates remained firm in 
their attitude as to alleged treason and rebellion. They 
were not disposed to admit, even indirectly, the truth 
of such charges, by accepting pardon for acts that they 
had not committed. 

Having little or no faith in the assurance that their 
rights would be respected by the troops, the people 
resolved upon another exodus, and forthwith moved en 
masse into the central and southern parts of the Terri- 
tory. Thirty thousand men, women and children aban- 
doned their homes, leaving only enough men to set fire 
to them if a hostile hand were lifted to injure or despoil 
their property. 

General Richards was among those who went 
south. He built a small house at Provo, and on June 
ord moved his family into it. Having boarded up the 
windows of his northern homes, he left a man in charge, 
with instructions to apply the torch if the troops at- 
tempted to molest them. 

On the 26th of June General Johnston, at the head 
of his command, entered Salt Lake Valley by way of 
Emigration Canyon. Passing through the deserted and 
silent city, he camped three days on the Jordan River, 
and then marched thirty-six miles south to Cedar Val- 
ley, where he founded Camp Floyd, named after the 
Secretary of War. True to the pledge given by its com- 
mander, the army molested neither person nor prop- 
erty. It remained in Utah until the beginning of the 
Civil War, when Camp Floyd was abandoned, the 
troops being ordered elsewhere. 

The Echo Canyon campaign having ended, the 
people, in July of that year, began returning to their 


150 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


homes—General Richards and his family among them. 

Hrom time to time the militiamen were called out 
to protect the settlements against attacks by Indians. 
Asa general rule, the feed-rather-than-fight policy was 
faithfully observed, and eventually bore good fruit, 
most of the Indians becoming friendly and peaceable. 
There were times, however, when it was necessary to 
be firm and even stern with the red men, in order to 
maintain their respect. Frequently they would raid 
the settlements, run off cattle, and when followed he 
in ambush and open deadly fire upon their pursuers. 
In addition to such disturbances, a number of conflicts 
of larger proportions took place—such as the Provo 
River Battle, the Walker War, and the Black Hawk 
War. The militia served valiantly in protecting the 
lives and property of the citizens, but before the In- 
dian troubles were over many white men lost their 
lives. 

During the Civil War, President Lincoln, through 
Adjutant General Thomas, requested the Utah militia 
to protect the transcontinental mail route against In- 
dians and renegade whites who had been attacking and 
robbing stage coaches, killing travelers and destroying 
mail stations. The President’s request was promptly 
complied with, a company of cavalry under Major Lot 
Smith rendering efficient service for ‘‘ Uncle Sam’’ at 
that time. This was in April, 1862. In October of that 
year Camp Douglas was founded by the California and 
Nevada Volunteers, and thereafter the Utah militia 
was relieved of the duty of protecting the mail route 
over the plains. 

General Richards retained command of his brigade 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 151 


for thirteen years, and kept it in good condition, 
through regular drills and encampments. Upon the 
death of my grandfather, Brigadier General Chauncey 
W. West, Grandfather Richards succeeded him ag 
commander of the Weber-Box Elder Military District. 
He also served as a member of the Territorial Military 
Board. 

In 1870, the Nauvoo Legion was rendered inactive 
by proclamation of Governor J. Wilson Shaffer, who 
vented his animus against the ‘*‘ Mormons”’ by forbid- 
ding the regular fall musters. In 1887 the Legion was 
abolished by act of Congress, and in 1894 ‘‘The Na- 
tional Guard of Utah’’ was enrolled, thus continuing 
the military history of the commonwealth. 


CHAPTER XIV 
LAST FOREIGN MISSION 


The Work in Britain—Franklin D. Richards Again in the Field—Tour of 
the British and Continental Conferences—The Paris Exposition—Interview 
with John Bright—Succeeds Brigham Young, Jr., as Mission President— 
Brings a Steamship Company to Terms—Among Swiss and German Saints— 
Revives the British Mission—Commendation from the Head of the Church— 
Returns to Utah—President Young’s Warm Greeting and Congratulation. 


In the year 1866 it was believed by many that the 
British Mission was in its decline. It was thought that 
nearly all of the seed of Israel had been ‘‘gathered 
out,’’ and that only a remnant of the Saints remained 
to be emigrated. The Presidency of the Church made 
a strong appeal to the people in every county and set- 
tlement of Utah, asking for donations to bring the 
remainder of the faithful across the seas, and calling 
for volunteers, with teams and wagons, to convey them 
from the Missouri River to Salt Lake Valley. The 
closing of the British Mission, for a season at least, 
seemed imminent. 

It was under these circumstances and in the face 
of such a prospect, that ‘Franklin D. Richards set out 
upon his fourth and last mission to Europe. He left 
Salt Lake City on the 14th of August, and on the 11th 
of September landed once more at Liverpool. Elder 
Brigham Young, Jr., of the Quorum of the Twelve, was 
then presiding in that land. Apostle Richards was sent 
to succeed him in the presidency of the great mission 
which he had done so much in former years to extend 
and establish upon a firm basis of spiritual and tem- 
poral prosperity. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 153 


Soon after his arrival at Liverpool he performed 
the pleasing duty of visiting the various conferences, 
in Britain, in Scandinavia, and in other continental 
countries. That he received and gave joy in thus 
mingling, after the lapse of a decade, with his spiritual 
children yet residing in those lands, needs no assertion. 

His next move was to visit the Paris Exposition, 
which was being held at the French capital. On that 
occasion he accompanied the president of the mission, 
who had been appointed by the Utah Legislature a 
commissioner to the great Exposition. 

On their way to or from Paris, the two Apostles 
passed through London and called upon one of the 
most prominent men in the public life of Great Britain, 
namely, John Bright, M. P., the famous statesman who, 
during America’s Civil War, had stood so staunchly for 
the Union in his sympathies, while many of his col- 
leagues, including even the great. Gladstone, were lean- 
ing the other way, encouraging by their pro-southern 
attitude the hopes of the doomed Confederacy. Says 
Apostle Richards of this visit to the illustrious member 
of Parliament: 

‘‘Brigham Young, Jr., and I called upon John 
Bright at 4 Hanover Street, Hanover Square, and had 
an hour’s pleasant chat about Utah, the Indian diffi- 
culties, politics, and whatever else he inquired about. 
At first he seemed formal and reserved, as if he feared 
we might be wanting something of him; but this seemed 
to pass off, and we chatted freely and cheerfully. While 
there Mr. Dudley, American Consul for Liverpool, 
called and spoke of the superiority of our emigration 


154 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


arrangements and ships, which seemed to create a fav- 
orable impression with Mr. Bright.’’ 

In July, 1867, his brother Apostle having sailed 
for home, Franklin D. Richards again took charge of 
the European Mission. ‘‘He is a tried warrior in the 
cause of Truth,’’ said the retiring President, ‘‘and we 
yield the presidency into his hands with pleasure, well 
knowing that the work will receive a fresh impetus 
from his experience and matured wisdom.’’ 

The newly installed President and ex-officio editor 
thus saluted the Saints through the ‘* Millennial Star:’’ 

‘‘Hor the third time we appear before the Saints 
of the European Mission in an editorial capacity. On 
former occasions we have proven that the Lord is both 
able and willing to assist his servants in the perform- 
ance of any duty required of them. Therefore we feel 
encouraged at the present time to take up the editorial 
pen, and to assume the responsibilities which have 
devolved upon us, consequent upon the departure of 
President Brigham Young, Jr. 

‘‘Our former labors in this mission were performed 
at times of sowing the Gospel seed, and of abundant 
reaping of the harvest of souls; but the spirit of the 
times seems to suggest that today is a period for the 
gathering of the sheaves into the garner of the Lord. 
Our earnest desire is to move with the spirit of the 
present, and to use our utmost influence to urge upon 
the Saints the necessity of gathering up to the moun- 
tain of the Lord’s house. But while preparing to bear 
testimony by flight, we would urge upon the Saints as 
well as the Elders, to testify by word in power and in 
the demonstration of the Spirit, strengthened by a 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 155 


godly example, concerning the great work of our God, 
that the honest in heart who yet remain in ignorance 
may come to the understanding of the truth. 

‘‘We desire the co-operation of our brethren, the 
Elders of Israel. We ask for their faith and cordial 
assistance in the carrying out of all measures that wis- 
dom and the spirit of truth may dictate, to further the 
interests of the kingdom of God. 

‘‘In assuming the responsibilities which now de- 
volve upon us, we feel deeply sensible that ‘no man 
ean do the work of the Lord except God be with him.’ 
We therefore desire the faith and prayers of the Saints 
in our behalf, that we may be an instrument in the 
hands of God to impart information and blessing which 
shall benefit our readers not only in the present time, 
but also in eternity.”’ 

President Richards had by nature very little per- 
sonal interest in money matters. The following inci- 
dent, however, shows that he was alert to the materia! 
as well as the spiritual interests of the mission over 
which he presided. He wrote: 

‘Thursday, Mr. Scanlan, from the National Steam- 
ship Company, called to inquire after the prospects of 
emigration from us. When I asked him what he was 
prepared to offer in the way of fares for May and June, 
he replied, ‘The companies have gone into combination 
and fixed the fares at six guineas, six shillings.’ I 
told him I could not think of any such figures; rather 
than pay that I would resort to sail-ships and sail from 
Cardiff, London, Glasgow, or any other port that would 
best serve our interests. After finding that I was 
awake on the subject, he told me there was no doubt 


156 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


but we could come to terms, and if I wished they would 
send a steamer to any of these ports to receive our 
passengers. ”’ | 

With a touch of good-natured irony, the President 
thus concludes: ‘‘I find that the combination is not 
quite invulnerable to business attacks.”’ 

On the 29th of July, 1868, President. Richards left 
Liverpool on a visit to the Swiss and German Saints. 
The ‘‘Star,’’ in August of that year, contained the 
following synopsis of an address delivered by him 
while in Germany, where Elder Karl G. Maeser, then 
on a mission from Utah, was presiding: 

‘‘ After the conference business had been transacted 
President Franklin D. Richards addressed the Saints 
in English, which was translated into German by Elder 
Karl G. Maeser. He said he always felt a great interest 
in the nations that spoke the German language, and 
would like very much to have acquired it himself, that 
he might speak to them today in their own native 
tongue, but time and circumstances had never permit- 
ted it. He related the prophecies of the Prophet Joseph 
Smith, that thousands of the promised seed of Israel 
were among the German nations, and that the time was 
near at hand in which the blessings of the Kingdom of 
God should be offered to them; alluded to the work of 
the great reformers of Switzerland and Germany, and 
compared it with the magnitude of the work of the 
servants of God in these last days; rehearsed some of 
his recollections on his first visit to Germany, thirteen 
years ago, when he baptized Brother Maeser and organ- 
ized a branch of the Church in Dresden; expressed 
his hope for the progress of the work of God in these 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 157 


lands, and felt to bless the people and prophecy good 
over them, if they would abide by the counsels of the 
Spirit of God and his servants.”’ 

President Richards did not confine himself to the 
executive and editorial work connected with his posi- 
tion, but as usual took an active part in the preaching 
of the Gospel. Following the adjournment of his meet- 
ings, large numbers would flock around him to ascer- 
tain his street address or to leave their own, in the 
hope of learning more concerning him and the cause he 
championed. As he passed out into the street multi- 
tudes frequently surrounded him, seeking the Light. 
At the close of one evening service eight persons 
reported their names for baptism. 

As is evident from the tone of his editorial greet- 
ing, he shared to some extent the prevailing view that 
it was a time of gathering, more than of sowing and 
reaping. Nevertheless, he had no thought of closing 
the mission, or even of recommending a suspension of 
proselyting activity in the British Isles, until he had 
put forth an effort to revive the drooping situation and 
make sure that such a step was advisable. In resolving 
upon this course he was staunchly supported by his 
loyal and valued assistant editor, Charles W. Penrose, 
who had been to Utah and was then on a mission to the 
land of his birth. He was also sustained by the able 
force of Elders out in the field. United and undis- 
mayed, they undertook, with their beloved President, 
another revival of the British Mission. They were so 
successful that at the expiration of the first year no 
less than three thousand, four hundred and fifty-seven 
souls had been baptized into the Church. During the 


158 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


same period more than three thousand two hundred of 
the British Saints were emigrated. 

And this in the very face of the general antici- 
pation that the British Mission was about to close, as 
being no longer fruitful of souls for the Kingdom of 
God. In response to the appeal made by the Presidency 
of the Church, the people had donated generously of 
their means, and had actually sent teams and wagons to 
the frontier, in the full expectation that the entire rem- 
nant. of the Saints in this mission would be brought to 
Zion that season. But the Apostle Franklin, again in 
the land where he had presided over pastorates and 
conferences that at one time rivalled in membership 
the population of the counties of Utah, sensed by the 
spirit of his sacred calling the further fruitfulness of the 
dear old Saxon mother country, and accordingly set to 
work to effect the fulfillment of his inspired impres- 
sion. 

The results have been noted. Between three and 
four thousand souls baptized in one year! A larger 
number brought into the fold than the Church was able 
to emigrate during the very season when it undertook 
to gather the entire remnant. 

It was during this mission or the one preceding it 
that President Richards received a personal letter from 
President Brigham Young, commending his adminis- 
tration in the following terms: 

‘Your movements, doings, etc., so far as we have 
any knowledge of them, are most cordially approved bx 
me, and I will add that, in almost all the correspon- 
dence which we receive from the American Hlders, 
your course is highly spoken of; they all feel that you 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 159 


have acted the part of a father to them, and your ardu- 
ous labors and entire exertions are most effectually 
devoted to the spreading of the Gospel and the rolling 
forth of the Kingdom of our God upon the earth. This 
I believe, and have always expected at your hands, and 
am gratified to know that you are thus redeeming the 
promise of early years in doing good service in the 
ereat work of the Lord. Of course this is no news to 
me, still we often feel gratified in learning that our 
course and labors are approved and appreciated by our 
brethren, with whom we stand so intimately connected 
in the covenant and work of the last days. Still, far 
above all should we covet and strive for the approving 
smile of our Lord and Master, who rules King of Saints. | 
I know of no movement that you have made, that you 
or any one else could have bettered, acting in your 
place, and feel to sustain you all the day long in my 
faith and prayers before the Lord of Hosts.”’ 

On his return home, October 1, 1868, Apostle Rich- 
ards was warmly welcomed by President Young, who 
received him with this cordial and hearty greeting: 

‘Good evening, Brother Franklin. Welcome 
home! I am glad to see you. I congratulate you on 
your revival of the British Mission.’’ 

So ended the period of his last foreign service—a 
fitting finale to his long and efficient ministry in lands 
distant from his own. 


CHAPTER XV 
HOME INDUSTRIES AND CO-OPERATION — 


The Problem of Community Self-Support—Agriculture and Manufacture _ 
Encouraged—Why Mining was Banned—The Deseret Iron Company— 
Failures and Successes in Local Enterprises—Co-operative Irrigation, Pro- 
duction and Distribution—Z. C. M. I.—Franklin D. Richards’ Part in the 
Great Movement. 

Owing to their remoteness from the great commer- 
cial centers, and the immense difficulties and heavy 
expense attendant upon transportation, especially in 
the early ox-team days, the founders of Utah saw not 
‘only the desirability, but the absolute necessity, for 
the community to become self-supporting—to produce 
what it consumed. In line with this policy, the leaders, 
in advising their followers upon temporal matters, 
directed their attention first to the tilling of the soil, 
and next to the establishment of local industries. 

Mining, for the time being, they discouraged, for 
what were then good and sufficient reasons. Aware of 
the speculative and extremely hazardous nature of this 
branch of industry, and knowing well the tendency 
in human nature to bow down to a god of gold, forsak- 
ing the worship of the God of Heaven, who made the 
earth and all that it contains, they discountenanced at 
first any search for the hidden treasures with which it 
was known the mountains of Utah were filled. The 
people were reminded that food and clothing were the 
first requisites in the colony, and that they could not 
eat gold and silver, nor dig out of the ground shoes, 
shirts, and other articles of apparel, the need of which 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 161 


was almost as pressing at times as the everyday neces- 
sity for bread. 

Moreover, it was impressed upon them that it was 
not the part of wisdom to attract hither, before their 
own feet were firmly planted upon the soil, a popula- 
tion apt to be inimical to them and their dearest inter- 
ests; this piece of prudent counsel having special refer- 
ence to the rough and turbulent elements that usually 
flock to newly opened mining camps, to the danger and 
detriment of peaceably inclined citizens dwelling be- 
side them. A people who had been under the heel of 
tyrannical majorities that. hated them and their cause, 
ought to think twice before inviting a repetition of 
their former troubles—a result more than likely to 
ensue from an overwhelming influx of elements such 
as those described. They should also bear in mind the 
days of famine and privation in the colony, when the 
products of garden, farm and grist-mill were literally 
worth their weight in gold—nay, compared with which 
gold was utterly valueless so long as the straitness 
reigned. 

Such was the burden of the advice and instruction 
given to the people in those primitive times. They were 
advised to let the gold and silver remain where Provi- 
dence had placed them, until the proper time came to 
bring them forth, and meanwhile devote themselves 
to agriculture, manufacture, and kindred pursuits, 
occupations fundamental in their character, and con- 
stituting the basis of every state’s prosperity. And 
the people—most of them—followed the wise counsel 
of their leaders. 


But it was mining for the precious metals that was 
11 


162 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


placed under the ban, not the development of the rich 
coal and iron deposits with which ‘‘the everlasting 
hills’’ likewise abounded. 

As early as 1852 a successful attempt was made, 
under the sanction of the Church Authorities, to mine 
coal and iron in that part of Utah known as Iron 
County—which derived its name from the vast deposits 
of iron ore now (1924) being profitably mined in that 
promising region. And it was Franklin D. Richards 
and Erastus Snow who made the attempt in question. 
While in England in the spring of 1852, these Apostles, 
who were then about to return to Utah, organized the 
Deseret Iron Company, and selected and emigrated 
skilled workmen to operate the proposed plant. 

In July of the same year our Apostle was in Iron 
County, on business connected with the establishment 
of this industry. While there he and George A. Smith 
changed the site of Cedar City and fortified it against 
Indian attacks; Cedar having been founded for the 
purpose of establishing the iron works. Parowan, 
which had been settled under the direction of George 
A. Smith in 1851, was the farming district that was to 
provide for those who might be employed in those 
works. 

Chartered by the Utah Legislature during the 
winter of 1852-53, the Deseret Iron Company began its 
career with a capital stock of about twenty thousand 
dollars. The Legislature made two appropriations, 
ageregating nearly seven thousand dollars, to encour- 
age this industry, and the Church, by its Trustee-in- 
Trust, took shares of stock in the enterprise. Fur- 
naces were erected and pig-iron was manufactured at 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 163 


Cedar City. But it was found that the coal of that 
section, owing to its high sulphur content, would not 
flux with the iron; and because of the great distance 
from the East, where the right kind of coal was ob- 
tainable, and the lack of transportation facilitics, the 
project had to be abandoned. 

The recently established rail connection to Cedar 
City (1923) and the development of a market on the 
Pacific Coast, have resulted in the construction in Utah 
County of a large plant for the manufacture of iron 
and steel, from ores shipped to that point from the 
mines near Cedar City; coal from Carbon County being 
used in the fluxing process. Considering the present 
dimensions of this industry in the State, and the fact 
that its first iron company was organized more than 
seventy years ago, and within five years after the 
settlement of Salt Lake Valley, the vision of the leaders 
in this enterprise is clearly manifest. | 

The manufacture of beet-sugar—that now flour- 
ishing industry—was also undertaken in the early fif- 
ties, with machinery purchased for the Church in 
France and brought to Utah by Apostle John Taylor. 
This attempt proved abortive in the main. But saw 
mills, grist mills, woolen mills, foundries, tanneries, 
cutleries and potteries were established, and clothing, 
fur goods, leather, hats and caps, brushes, combs, 
soap, matches, paper, ink, knives and forks, nails and 
many other articles, both useful and ornamental, were 
manufactured. In Southern Utah cotton was cultivated 
and cotton mills were successfully operated. At about 
the same time silk worms and mulberry trees were 1m- 
ported from the south of France, and many articles in 


164 , FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


silk were produced in different parts of the Territory. 

During that period most of the clothing was made 
in the homes of the people. Since they were free from 
outside competition, the time was opportune for home 
manufacture, but the difficulty of transporting ma- 
chinery necessary for production was a serious handi- 
cap. 

For more than twenty years prior to the advent 
of the railroad, freight rates not only on machinery . 
but on imported goods in general, were extremely 
high, and store prices soared correspondingly. ‘rhe 
merchants took heavy risks in purchasing large stocks 
of merchandise in outside markets, and freighting them 
over vast distances at great expense; but their patrons 
could not always be convinced that such high prices 
were reasonable or necessary. 

With the coming of the railroad, the number of 
retail stores in Utah increased very rapidly, and al- 
though freight rates were greatly reduced, middle men 
combined to hold prices as near as possible at their 
former level. It was now possible to procure machin- 
ery, but it was about three years after rail connection 
between Hast and West had been established, before 
manufacturing became general. 

The pioneers of Utah were compelled by force of 
circumstances to engage in co-operative enterprises. 
The scant rainfall made irrigation a necessity, and the 
building of canals, dams and reservoirs required com- 
munity effort. 

The ‘‘Mormon”’ leaders initiated two co-operative 
movements, one for production, and the other for dis- 
tribution of the goods thus produced. Machinery was 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 165 


purchased, installed in local communities, and worked 
co-operatively. The articles manufactured were 
bought by home co-operative stores, and sold to the 
people. For the next five years this theme was domi- 
nant in the writings and sermons of the Church Au- 
thorities. : 

In the autumn of 1868 Zion’s Co-operative Merean- 
tile Institution was organized at Salt Lake City, and 
the people as a whole were urged to purchase stock in 
the corporation. Smaller institutions of like character, 
some of them branches of the parent house, sprang up 
at Provo, Ogden, Logan, and many other places in Utah 
and Idaho. The present Z. C. M. I. at Salt Lake City, 
which was then called the ‘‘parent institution,’’ pur- 
chased merchandise in large quantities from the east- 
ern markets, and distributed the same, as required, to 
the other stores. The admonition of the leaders to 
patronize these stores, and the fact that the people 
themselves were stockholders therein, lowered prices, 
eliminated profiteering, and acted as a stabilizing in- 
fluence in the business of the community. 

Franklin D. Richards’ time was largely occupied 
in founding these co-operative institutions. He was 
chairman of the committee that drafted a constitution 
and by-laws for the parent ‘*Co-op’’—so it was called, 
though ‘‘Z. C.’’ has since become its abbreviated title. 
He was a director in the main institution for many 
years, and assisted in establishing its branch house 
in Ogden, where he then resided. He was also instru- 
mental in establishing co-operative herds, creameries, 
and stores in other parts of Weber County. He 
traveled through the settlements with other leading 


166 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


brethren, advising the people to become their own 
merchants and transact their own business, instead of 
patronizing those who virtually robbed them, and often 
used the means thus obtained to support and encourage 
newspapers and other agencies that slandered the 
people of Utah and worked up hostile sentiment 
against them. 

Most of the co-operative concerns that grew out of 
the great system inaugurated in 1868 have disappeared, 
but the parent house still remains, though the changes 
of years have made it no longer an exclusively ‘‘ Mor- 
mon”’ institution. 


CHAPTER XVI 
HOME LIFE IN OGDEN 


Apostles Presiding in the Stakes—Franklin D. Richards Sent to Ogden 
—Probate Judge of Weber County—Home and Hospitality—Arrival of the 
Railroad Celebrated—Judge Richards’ Speech of Welcome—Laying of the Last 
Rail—The Utah Central Road—Stakes Reorganized and Apostles Relieved— 
Judge Richards Continues to Reside in Ogden—Death of His Son Lorenzo 
—The Apostle’s Seventieth Anniversary. 


In the early colonization of this region, leading 
men were needed in the outlying settlements as guides 
and teachers to the people, both in spiritual and in tem- 
poral matters. Accordingly, a number of the Apostles 
were called on missions to build up certain sections and 
preside over the branches, wards and stakes composed 
of families likewise called to settle in those parts and 
establish permanent homes. Thus, Erastus Snow was 
sent to Iron and Washington counties; Lorenzo Snow 
to Box Elder County; Ezra T. Benson to Cache County; 
Charles C. Rich to Bear Lake Valley, and others of the 
Twelve to various localities. 

Franklin D. Richards was assigned to Ogden, to 
be the presiding ecclesiastical authority in Weber 
Stake, which then comprised all of Weber County. He 
was to succeed Chauncey W. West, who had been the 
presiding Bishop in that Stake for many years, and 
Lorin Farr, who had been the Stake President. This 
change was decided upon at a meeting of the First 
Presidency and the Twelve, held January 10,1869, and 
Apostle Richards there received his appointment. 

Following this action of the Church Authorities, 


168 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


the Utah Legislature, on February 19, elected Frank- 
lin D. Richards Probate Judge of Weber County. 

Forthwith he changed his residence from Salt 
Lake City to Ogden, moving there in the spring of 
1869, and from that time until his death, thirty years 
later, the Junction City was his home. 

Ogden derived its surname of ‘‘Junction City”’ 
from the advent of the transcontinental railroad and 
the decision of the two great lines (Union Pacific and 
Central Pacific) to make that city their permanent 
point of junction. Thenceforth the administration of 
spiritual and temporal affairs in the Weber County 
capital was to be second only in importance to that of 
Salt Lake City. Society was about to be rapidly mixed, 
through a large influx of non-‘‘Mormons,’’ and the 
control of the city and its business was to be very 
nearly equally divided between ‘‘ Mormons’’ and ‘‘Gen- 
tiles.’’ It was deemed necessary, therefore, to place 
Weber Stake under an apostolic administration and 
eause the dignity of the County government to corres- 
pond therewith. The ‘‘Gentiles’”’ as well as the ‘‘ Mor- 
mons’’ respected the change. Franklin D. Richards 
being a man of wide experience, greatly respected and 
esteemed, his selection as Probate and County Judge, 
as well as to preside in ecclesiastical matters, was a 
wise and fitting one. 

Shortly after his removal to Ogden, he commenced 
the erection of a home on the west. side of Lincoln 
Avenue, between T'wenty-Fourth and Twenty-Fifth 
Streets. This home served him and his family during 
the remainder of his mortal life. The structure was of 
colonial style and set well back from the street line. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 169 


The beautiful lawn, interspersed with trees, shrubs, 
vines, and beds of flowers, made it a very cheery and 
attractive place. In summer, the spacious lawns served 
frequently for lawn parties, and in winter the home 
proper for house parties; for the Richards family were 
very hospitable and sociable. Their example was an 
inspiration to the young people, and tended to produce 
a feeling of friendship and sociability between all 
classes of the community. 

The coming of the railroad was the great topic of 
the time. The transcontinental line was built from 
both East and West, by the Union Pacific and Central 
Pacific railroad companies, respectively; and it was 
Monday, March 8, 1869, when the Union Pacific track- 
layers came within sight of Ogden. At 2:30 p. m. 
they reached the city, where, amid waving of flags, 
music of brass bands, shouts of the people and thuncer 
of artillery, the arrival of the ‘‘Iron Horse’’ was cele- 
brated with wild enthusiasm. Banners borne aloft in 
the procession, which made its way through the crowd- 
lined streets and finally stopped in front of an elevated 
stand built near the railroad track, carried such mot- 
toes as: ‘* Hail to the Highway of Nations; Utah bids 
you Welcome!’’ On the platform were seated promi- 
nent dignitaries of that section of the country. 

The assembly was called to order by Mayor 
Lorin Farr, who announced an address from Hon. 
F. D. Richards. Judge Richards then delivered an 
impressive speech, in the course of which he said: 

‘“A prejudice has existed in the minds of some in 
relation to our feelings on this matter. It has been said 
that we do not wish to have a railway pass through our 


170 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


country. Such prejudice has been proved to be un- 
founded, and our labors along the line, especially 
through Echo and Weber canyons, are a standing and 
irrefutable testimony of our great desire and anxiety 
to see the completion of this, the greatest undertaking 
ever designed by human skill and wisdom. It spans 
the continent and, uniting the Atlantic to the Pacific, 
opens up to us the commerce of the nations; it facili- 
tates the transit and trade between India, China, 
America and other parts of the world, and enables us 
with speed and comfort to visit our friends throughout 
the Union. It will also enable the world’s great men— 
men of wisdom, science and intellect, to visit our-moun- 
tain home, and form a true estimate of our character 
and position. Then I say, Hail to the Great Highway 
of Nations! Utah bids you Welcome! And may God 
speed the great work until it is completed, and may 
good and kind feelings animate the minds of the con- 
tractors and builders of both lines, and stimulate them 
to increased exertion until the last tie and rail are 
Jaid.’’ 

The address was followed by a band selection, an 
artillery salute, and three cheers for the Superinten- 
dent of the Railroad, who had declined an invitation 
to speak. 

Judge Richards, as one of Ogden City’s official 
representatives, on May 10, 1869, attended the cere- 
mony of laying the last rail and driving the last spike 
at Promontory, Utah, where the two roads met, thus 
completing rail connection between the Atlantic and 
Pacific coasts. The leading officials of both lines and 
many of the most prominent men of the West, were 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 171 


present. The spike mauls, wielded by Governor Stan- 
ford of California, and President Durant of the Union 
Pacific Railroad, were made of silver and had been 
specially prepared for the occasion. Spikes of gold 
and silver were presented by Governor Safford of 
Arizona, Hon .F’. A. Fryth of Nevada, and Dr, Harkness 
of Sacramento, in appropriate speeches. The spike 
mauls were connected by telegraph wires with the lead- 
ing cities of the nation, by which means every stroke 
was effectually signaled and made to fire salutes as a 
notification that this important piece of railroad con- 
struction had been finished. Numerous short speeches 
were made and congratulations received from all parts 
of the country, for it was rightly regarded as one of the 
most notable achievements of the nineteenth century. 

The construction work on these railroads in Utah 
was done by local labor. President Brigham Young 
had the contract and built the Union Pacific grade 
from Echo Canyon to Promontory, and the firm of 
Benson, Farr and West constructed one hundred and 
sixty miles of the Central Pacific (now Southern Pa- 
cific) grade from Promontory west. 

Salt Lake City at that time was not the ‘‘Mecca’’ 
for travelers that it has since become. Such imposing 
structures as the T’emple and the Tabernacle, with its 
great organ, were either incomplete or comparatively 
unknown. Much of the transcontinental railroad travel 
was content with such knowledge of the ‘‘Mormons”’ 
as could be had from observations in Ogden, and Frank- 
lin D. Richards, as the ecclesiastical, judicial and civil 
head of affairs in Weber County, occupied a conspicu- 
ous place in the eyes of those who were curious to 


172 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


learn something in verification of the wild and lurid 
tales in circulation regarding Utah and her people. 
His princely manner of meeting strangers, at his new 
home with its beautiful surroundings, could not fail to 
make a most favorable impression. It also did much to 
correct the false ideas so prevalent concerning the 
‘‘neculiar people’’ who for nearly a quarter of a cen- 
tury had been isolated from the world within the con- 
fines of the Rocky Mountains. 

He frequently met leading railroad men, and re- 
ceived invitations to accompany them on tours of 
inspection. His journal thus describes two such tours: 

‘‘Arose at seven, breakfasted, and about 9:30 the 
special train in which we traveled left for Promontory, 
where we arrived at 11:45. I there received a dispatch 
from President Young, through Bishop West. I was 
introduced to Oliver Ames, President of the Union 
Pacific Railroad; General Dodge, Chief Engineer; 
Judge Wilson of Iowa, and other officials of the Union 
Pacific Railroad. There were prominent ladies also 
present on this occasion. Lunched at 1.00 p. m. in offi- 
cers’ car, left between three and four p. m., after tak- 
ing on the eminent ‘Citizens Committee.’ We pro- 
ceeded slowly toward home, examining the track very 
critically, and ran into Blue Creek siding for the 
night.’’ 

‘‘October 11, 1870, at 5:00 a. m. started with the 
Presidency, the Twelve and others, by special train 
for Evanston, where we met Messrs. Oliver Ames and 
Sidney Dillon, President and Director of the Union 
Pacific Railroad, and returned with them to Ogden at 


200 p.m’ 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 173 


On March 4, 1873, President Young wired Judge 
Richards that Colonel Thomas L. Kane would be his 
guest for the night. The Colonel was a scholarly and 
distinguished gentleman, and, as already shown, a 
ereat friend to the ‘‘Mormon’’ people, having served 
as mediator between the Government and the citizens 
of Utah during the Echo Canyon War. 

Sympathetic and kind-hearted by nature, the 
Richards family had become more so, as the result 
of their early hardships and privations. Owing to their 
hospitality and the nearness of their home to the Union 
Depot—only a block away—searcely a day passed with- 
out their feeding from one to a dozen vagrants who 
were making their way across the country. Such were 
never turned away hungry. Those who were fed 
passed the word to others, and more than one poor 
tramp informed members of the family that their com- 
panions had described the home minutely to them, 
hundreds of miles before they reached Ogden, and 
stated that they would be kindly treated if they called 
there. 

The people of Salt Lake City had desired that 
the great railroad should come that way, passing 
around the south end, instead of the north end, of the 
Great Salt Lake. But the latter route was chosen by 
the engineers in charge, and their decision, though 
much criticised at the time, was gradually acquiesced 
in and became generally satisfactory. 

President Young, unable to effect a ready cash 
settlement with the Union Pacific Company for the 
work done by him—owing to the heavy cost of the work 
and the company’s scarcity of funds—and seeing the 


174 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


necessity for rail connection with Salt Lake City, ac- 
cepted in payment rails and equipment to build a 
branch road connecting Ogden with the capital. As 
official representative of Weber. County, Judge Rich- 
ards, with President Young and other prominent men, 
participated in the ceremony of breaking ground at 
Ogden for the building of the branch line. It was to 
be known as the Utah Central Railroad. He also took 
part in the exercises at Salt Lake City, celebrating 
its completion, and assisted in selling the Utah Central 
bonds, issued to pay for its construction. This road is 
now part of the Oregon Short Line, in the great Union 
Pacific system. 

In 1877, shortly before his death, President Young 
reorganized the Stakes of Zion and released the Apos- 
tles from the responsibility of presiding over them. 
David H. Peery was the next president of Weber 
Stake. 

Grandfather Richards became Church Historian 
in 1889, after serving for five years as the Historian’s 
Assistant. Though his office was in Salt Lake City, he 
continued to reside in Ogden, making the round trip 
to and from the capital each day, in order to attend to 
his official duties. On one occasion, not long before 
his death, a friend who met him on the train returning 
from Salt Lake City looking weary and careworn, 
asked him why he did not change his place of residence, 
since his daily employment required his presence at 
the capital. He replied that the President of the 
Church had called him on a mission to reside in Ogden, 
and until the same authority released him he expected 
to remain there. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 175 


When worried and worn he always found in the 
midst of his family a haven of rest and peace. Grand- 
mother Richards was a true helpmeet, a genuine home 
maker. She so ably managed the home and so success- 
fully reared the children, that the head of the house- 
hold was freed to a considerable extent from those 
responsibilities, and thus enabled to devote more time 
to the service of the Lord. His library was in his 
home. It was carefully selected and consisted of 
standard works and the latest publications upon art, 
literature, science, philosophy and religion. There he 
was at liberty to read, meditate and write, and to 
pursue, undisturbed, the genealogical research work 
in which he took so much interest during his later 
years. 

He was a great seeker after knowledge—not only 
in the realm of religion, but in science and art as well. 
He improved every opportunity whether at home or 
abroad, to discover the best in music, by attending 
ereat concerts given in places where he happened to 
be. In science, art and invention he kept abreast of the 
world’s progress, by constant reading of the latest 
publications of eminent writers, and by attending ex- 
- positions and lectures delivered by authorities who 
had distinguished themselves in their several fields of 
research. It was a pleasure for him to meet cultured 
people of different nationalities and in every walk of 
life, for he kept himself well informed upon all public 
questions, and as a conversationalist was pleasing and 
interesting. 

On December 21, 1883, a great sorrow befell the 
family. Lorenzo Maeser Richards, next to the young- 


176 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


est of the children of Franklin Dewey and Jane Snyder 
Richards, passed away as the result of a protracted 
illness, following an injury sustained by him while 
driving a spirited horse on July 4th of that year. He 
was twenty-six years of age, the day following the 
accident. A keen observer, a quick thinker, far- 
sighted, shrewd; yet honorable in every way, he pos- 
sessed a cheerful disposition, radiating sunshine, and 
was held in high esteem by all of his acquaintances. He 
was county clerk of Weber County for several years, 
and at the time of his death, manager of a large whole- 
sale dry-goods establishment, in which he and his 
brothers Franklin and Charles were partners. An Og- 
den newspaper, commenting on his decease, referred to 
him as an honest, able, generous and courageous busi- 
ness man, very popular with his associates, and of 
whom it could be said that he had injured no one during 
his entire life. 

April 2, 1891, Apostle Richards attained the sum- 
mit of his three score years and ten, and was the guest 
of honor at a genuine ‘‘surprise party,’’ arranged by 
members of his household. The ‘‘Ogden Standard”’ 
thus described the happy social event: 

‘‘Last night at nine o’clock, when Apostle Frank- 
lin D, Richards returned from Salt Lake City, he found 
the parlors of his spacious residence crowded with 
friends and relatives who had assembled to greet his 
completion of three score and ten years. Though sur- 
prised and deeply moved, he was able to extend those 
kindly expressions which are eminently characteristic _ 
of him and which made sociability and happiness the 
rule. Some hours were passed in the pleasures of 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 177 


conversation, music, speeches, and at the table; and 
when the company dispersed it was with a hope that 
another year, and still others after, might find the 
ranks still unbroken, and in the enjoyment of life, 
health and prosperous peace. 

‘‘Apostle Richards has been over forty years a 
resident of Utah. Most of the public events of this 
Territory’s early history bear the impress of his 
thought and deed. Coming here in the full flush of a 
bright young manhood, endowed by birth, education 
and training with fine attainments, it is not astonish- 
ing that he should have been a leader. He has been 
prominent not only in ecclesiastical life, but in legis- 
lative and judicial circles. He was the founder and 
first editor of the ‘‘Ogden Junction’’ and this City 
and County owe much to his progressiveness and schol- 
arship. Everybody who knows Judge Richards—as 
he has been called here for nearly a quarter of a cen- 
tury—admires his ability and his gentleness. One of 
the highest tributes ever paid to a man, was uttered 
in the hearing of the writer a few days since, by a 
prominent gentleman of Salt Lake City. He said: ‘I 
have known Franklin D. Richards intimately for fifty 
years, and during all that time I never heard him say 
an unkind word of anyone—friend or foe!’ ”’ 


CHAPTER XVII 
EDITOR AND EXPOUNDER 


Founder and Editor of the “Ogden Junction’”—Organizes and Fosters 
Young People’s Associations—A Lover of Books, Literature and Learning— 
The Compendium—A University Regent—Dissertations on Doctrine. 


Franklin D. Richards was ever a friend and patron 
of the press. His appreciation of its power for good 
when rightly directed, is clearly and tersely set forth in 
the subjoined paragraph of an editorial article in the 
‘Millennial Star.’’ 

‘“The press is a powerful instrument in communi- 
cating intelligence; it is a mighty lever to move, direct, 
and regulate public opinion. Napoleon Bonaparte said, 
‘Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a 
thousand bayonets.’ If an Emperor stood so much in 
fear of a common newspaper in mere political affairs, 
will not the adversary of souls stand in still greater 
fear of our paper, which aims directly and wholly at 
the truth, and is enriched by the revelations of the 
Most High God and the wisdom of apostles, prophets, 
seers and patriarchs?”’ 

Realizing, quite as well as did Napoleon—and for 
better reasons than the one attributed to that despotic 
opponent of a free press—the value and importance of 
a good newspaper in the life of a progressive commu- 
nity, Judge Richards, in December, 1869, organized 
as a joint stock concern, the Ogden Junction Publish- 
ing Company, of which he was President; and began 
the publication of the ‘‘Ogden Junction,”’ the first 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 179 


number of which appeared January 1, 1870. It was 
not Ogden’s earliest newspaper, but it was the first one 
published there that had an extended career. Its im- 
mediate predecessor was the ‘‘ Daily Telegraph,”’ edited 
and published by T. B. H. Stenhouse, originally at Salt 
Lake City, and after the advent of the railroad and in 
anticipation of Ogden’s becoming a great commercial 
center, moved to the Junction City. There it was issued 
for a few months and then discontinued. The suspen- 
sion of the ‘‘Telegraph”’ left a clear field for the 
‘‘Junction,’’ of which Franklin D. Richards was the 
first editor. In his opening salutation to the public, he 
said: 

‘‘In our opinion the time has come when the best 
interests of all concerned require the publication of a 
paper in Ogden—not particularly a religious, political 
or scientific paper—but such a one as shall best serve 
the interests of our City, County and Territory; to give 
the latest news, to advertise business and to represent 
ourselves instead of being represented by others. * * 
While our town has become the junction of railroads, 
it is no less a junction for public sentiment.’’ 

After a year’s work on the ‘‘Junction’’ he retired, 
his public duties having become so exacting that he was 
no longer able to give the paper the time and attention 
that it demanded. He was succeeded as editor by his 
able assistant, Charles W. Penrose, formerly sub-editor 
of the ‘‘ Millennial Star.”’ 

With a view to the intellectual and moral develop- 
ment of the young people of the community, Judge 
Richards, on April 20, 1873, organized at his home a 
number of young men into a society for mutual im- 


180 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


provement. In the weekly meetings held by them op- 
portunity was given for practice in public speaking and 
exchange of ideas, following a careful study of assigned 
subjects. Interest grew and membership increased until 
the largest room in the City Hall was filled to over- 
flowing with young people who came from all parts to 
participate in the exercises. The fatherly interest taken 
in the youth by the founder of this society, created for 
him a warm and enduring place in their hearts. 

Actuated by the same spirit, Grandmother Rich- 
ards organized the young ladies into a similar society, 
and received from them a like splendid response. Oc- 
easionally the two societies met conjointly. 

Grandfather was so deeply interested in the suc- 
cess of this movement, that he retained presiding 
charge and regularly attended the meetings. In order 
to cultivate a taste for the best, and to set proper ex- 
amples for the young in public speaking, he engaged 
such prominent speakers as Sisters Eliza R. Snow and 
Zina D. H. Young, Hon. Thomas Fitch, Colonel Akers, 
Judge Hagan, Apostles Orson Pratt and Moses 
Thatcher, Elder Charles W. Penrose, Dr. Karl G. Mae- 
ser, Franklin 8. Richards, Thomas H. Hadley, William 
W. Burton and others, to address them. Some of the 
more notable of the addresses were reported and pub- 
lished. 

This organization antedated by nearly two years 
the inception of the Mutual Improvement Association 
in the Thirteenth Ward of Salt Lake City, January 10, 
1875. Not only was the appreciation of good literature 
enhanced, but an improvement in public speaking, as 
well as a general uplift in aims, inclinations, ideals, 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 181 


deportment and culture, was noticeable among the 
youth. 

In 1877, when Weber Stake, along with other 
stakes, was reorganized, mutual improvement associa- 
tions were established in the various wards, and Joseph 
A. West became president over all such organizations 
in that stake. A small paper called the ‘‘Amateur”’ 
was published and passed through two volumes. It 
was discontinued in order that it might not be in com- 
petition with the ‘‘Contributor,’’ a magazine published 
in the interest of the mutual improvement associations 
throughout the entire Church. 

Franklin D. Richards was a great admirer of 
thoughtful, scholarly speech and writings. Logie, 
philosophy and eloquence were to him sources of genu- 
ine delight. During his thirty years residence in 
Ogden he repeatedly provided series of lectures and 
addresses by speakers of local and national repute, 
upon subjects in which they had specialized or were 
considered authority. An address or lecture of unusual 
excellence was delivered on a Sunday night. of each 
month, in the Ogden Tabernacle. 

He was also a fond lover of books. As mentioned 
in the opening chapter, when but a boy he read all 
the books contained in the Sunday School library of 
his native town. While on missions he enjoyed visiting 
at homes where good books were to be found. His 
journal is replete with references to days spent in pub- 
he libraries and book shops. It was his habit to copy 
such gems of poetry and prose as particularly appealed 
tohim. He also frequented the great museums and art 
galleries of Europe, and when in the neighborhood 


182 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


where learned societies were in convention, he made 
it a point to attend the more noteworthy of the lec- 
tures. He gradually accumulated a large, carefully- 
selected, private library of volumes treating upon 
nearly all phases of history, philosophy, science and 
religion. The numerous notes and cross references 
made by him on the margins of the leaves of such 
books, indicate the thoughtfulness with which they 
were read and studied. This wide range of intensive 
reading, coupled with his extensive travels in Europe 
and America, gave him an education superior to that 
of the average college graduate. His religion was to 
him above everything else, and his faith in it firm and 
unshaken, but travel and study made him open-minded 
and tolerant of the beliefs of others. In fact, breadth 
of vision and charitable toleration were among his 
outstanding qualities. 

In the early days of his ministry abroad, he pre- 
pared a compendium of the doctrines of the Church, 
giving, under proper headings and divided into chap- 
ters and verses, an epitome of the religion of the 
Latter-day Saints, with copious quotations and notes 
from the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Cove- 
nants, Pearl of Great Price, and Journal of Discourses. 
It was a laborious task, involving complete perusal of 
and judicious selections from all those publications. 

Each chapter of the Compendium—such is the title 
of the book—begins with a comprehensive statement 
of the subject, necessitating a wide acquaintance with 
the word of God, both ancient and modern, and the 
whole is supplemented by a collection of the most im- 
portant sayings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 183 


from all his writings. This alone required a great 
amount of time. Jn the early days of ‘‘Mormon”’ 
missionary work, when so many hew and inexperienced 
Elders were constantly going into the field, this little 
volume was a wonderful help to them and the cattse in 
general. The explanatory and commentary parts pos- 
sess real literary merit, for while the simplest language 
is employed, the thoughts are conveyed with clearness 
and force. In later years another and larger edition of 
the Compendium was published. At that time, owing 
to his increasing and varied duties, the author availed 
himself of the assistance of Elder James A. Little. 
When it is remembered that this work covers all the 
doctrines of the Church, and involved their careful and 
proper explanation, it will readily be seen that it was a 
very responsible and arduous undertaking. 

Apostle Richards was selected by the presiding 
authorities of the Church to write an article on the 
subject of ‘‘Mormonism,’’ to constitute a chapter of 
the book entitled ‘‘What the World Believes.’’ The 
article was written and appeared in the book when 
published. 

While on his second mission to Great Britain, he 
purchased some large globes designed to assist in the 
teaching of geography. These he brought to Utah and 
presented to the Deseret University—now the Univer- 
sity of Utah. He was several times elected and served as 
a regent of that institution, and on June 7, 1897, he 
delivered the baccalaureate sermon—a dignified and 
scholarly address—to the graduating class of the Uni- 
versity. 

The following paragraph occurs in his diary: 


184 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


‘‘Hriday, October 24, 1851—my fast day. The Holy 
Spirit more and more enlightens and strengthens me, 
for I hunger for the things of God to bestow upon the 
people. Spent the day mostly in reading, meditation 
and prayer.’’ The last four words summarize a large 
portion of the life of this good man, much of whose 
time was devoted to reading, meditation and prayer. 

We now come to some of his best known disserta- 
tions on doctrine. The belief had been entertained by 
many Latter-day Saints that when little children die 
they remain, throughout eternity, children in stature 
and intelligence. As early as April 28, 1877, Franklin 
D. Richards publicly declared the doctrine that after 
the resurrection and during the Millennium, little chil- 
dren who have died would grow to the full stature that 
they would have attained had they not passed away 
before reaching maturity. 

President Joseph F. Smith, referring to this sub- 
ject in a sermon quoted from pages 576-7 of ‘‘Gospel 
Teachings,’’ says: 

‘“The first man I ever heard mention this in publie 
was Franklin D. Richards, and when he spoke of it I 
felt in my soul: the truth has come out, the truth will 
prevail. It is mighty and will live; for there is no 
power that can destroy it. Presidents Woodruff and 
Cannon approved of the doctrine, and after that I 
preached it.’’ 

President Woodruff subsequently stated that he 
heard the Prophet Joseph Smith teach the same doc- 
trine at Nauvoo; but for some reason it was not 
reported, or the report was lost. It has since become 
a settled doctrine of the Church. Parents, in the resur- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 185 


rection, will not only receive their children just as they 
were when death occurred, but will experience the 
great happiness of seeing them grow up to full ma- 
turity under their parental care. This truth, which 
Franklin D. Richards, in unison with the Prophet of 
God, could see so clearly, and had the courage to pub- 
licly proclaim, has given unspeakable joy to thousands 
of mothers and fathers among the Latter-day Saints. 

In an extended discourse on the subject of the 
resurrection, delivered at Logan in 1884, he taught that 
children who passed away without having the oppor- 
tunity to embrace the Gospel, will not only grow to 
maturity in the Millennium, but will marry and be 
given in marriage, and thus be eligible to exaltation; 
vicarious work being done for them in the temples 
erected by the Saints. 

Some controversy having arisen over a certain 
passage in the Book of Mormon, that in which Mosiah 
speaks of the Savior as ‘‘the very eternal Father of 
heaven and earth, being the Father because of the 
Spirit and the Son because of the flesh’’—a passage 
interpreted by some to mean that the first and second 
personages in the Godhead are in reality one personage 
—Apostle Richards explained the matter as follows: 

‘‘Jesus Christ has not only this name, but He 
has many titles. By searching the scriptures we find 
twenty or thirty of them. Some of them are ‘Almighty 
God, Jehovah, the Son of God, the Christ.’ Isaiah 
said concerning Him: ‘His name shall. be called Won- 
derful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting 
Father, the Prince of Peace.’ John refers to Him as 
the ‘Word of God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.’ 


186 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


‘“Now this name Father is a wonderful name. We 
understand, generally, that it means one who becomes 
a father of children. There is a beginning to father- 
hood. There was a beginning to the creation of the 
earth, and there is a beginning to the creation of a 
man’s family; but that is not the only sense in which 
the word father is used. In the scriptures it is often 
used in a more general sense, e. g., Joseph said to his 
brethren, ‘He (God) has made me a father to Pharaoh.’ 
Why? Because He had given him the power, the wis- 
dom and the understanding to lay up food during the 
seven years of plenty, sufficient to save not only Egypt, 
but the neighboring nations in the time of their terrible 
necessity. In the scriptures Satan is called the father 
of lies, the father of deceit, of misrepresentation, of 
contention and strife. George Washington is called the 
father of this nation. His skill, his warlike prowess, 
and his readiness to stand at the head of his people, 
‘first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of 
his countrymen,’ made him the father of his country. 
Thus Professor Morse is the father of telegraphy, and 
Mr. Watt the father of steam power development. We 
see by the foregoing that the meaning of father in this 
general and broad sense is a creator, a controller, a 
manager. 

“The Prophet Mosiah has told us that because of 
the Spirit, Christ is the Father, and because of His 
having been born in the flesh, He is the Son, and there- 
fore is called ‘the very Eternal Father of heaven and 
earth,’ which really means that He is the very Eternal 
Creator of heaven and earth. In the beginning He 
created the heavens and the earth. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 187 


‘If we turn to the first chapter of John’s Revela- 
tion, we find that great glory and dominion will be 
given unto Him ‘who hath made us kings and priests 
unto God and his Father.’ So we see that He does not 
assume to be the Father of All, but He is the Father 
of heaven and earth, and is to make men kings and 
priests unto himself and his Father; knowing that He 
and his Father are two persons, as is distinctly main- 
tained in all the scriptures.’’ 


CHAPTER XVIII 
LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL 


The State of Deseret and Territory of Utah—Franklin D. Richards in the 
Legislature—The Judiciary—The Utah Commission—The Hoar Amendment 
—The Kimball-Richards Case—Holding the Fort for the Rights of the People 
—An Untarnished Record. 

When the Pioneers arrived in the Valley of the 
Great Salt Lake, the United States and Mexico were at 
war. The territory now within the boundaries of Utah, 
Nevada, California, New Mexico and Arizona was Mex- 
ican soil, but upon the signing of the treaty of peace 
between the two nations (‘February 2, 1848,) it was 
ceded to the United States. The early settlers being 
all, or nearly all, of the same religious faith, their first 
government was entirely ecclesiastical, the only courts 
being those of the Ward bishops and the Stake high 
councils. 

In March, 1849, a political convention assembled 
and Congress was asked to grant statehood to the 
people of the Great Basin. While action upon this 
request was pending, ‘‘The Provisional Government 
of the State of Deseret’’ functioned. Congress refused 
to admit Deseret into the Union of States, but granted 
instead a Territorial form of government, and on the 
Sth of September, 1850, the Territory of Utah 
came into legal existence. Brigham Young, who had 
been elected Governor of Deseret by the people, was 
appointed Governor of Utah by the President of the 
United States. In recognition of this act, the capital 
of the Territory, and the county in which it was situ- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 189 


ated, were named after the President—Millard Fill- 
more. The town of Fillmore, while centrally located, 
proved inconvenient for the purpose in view, the bulk 
of Utah’s population being in the northern counties. 
For this reason the capital, after a few years, was re- 
moved to Salt Lake City. 

During the period that Grandfather Richards re- 
sided in this city (1848-1869), and when he was not 
on foreign missions, he was elected term after term 
and served as a member of the Territorial Legislature, 
taking a leading part in the enactment of laws for the 
government of the people. Speaking of the years from 
1859 to 1866 and during the early seventies, Tullidge 
says of him: ‘‘He continued as he had previously been, 
when in Utah, a member of the successive legislative 
assemblies and constitutional conventions—in which 
his scholarship, legal lore and patriotism made him 
conspicuous.”’ 

The Utah Judiciary, until the year 1888, consisted 
of a Supreme Court, composed of a Chief Justice and 
two Associate Justices, appointed by the President of 
the United States; three District Courts, each presided 
over by one of those Justices; a Probate Court in each 
County, presided over by a Probate Judge, elected by 
joint vote of the two houses of the Territorial Legis- 
lature (until 1870, and thereafter, by the voters of the 
several counties); and Justices of the Peace, elected 
within and for the several precincts throughout the 
Territory. 

Under that system the Judge who heard and de- 
cided a case in the District Court, if his decision was 
appealed from, would sit as one of the justices of the 


190 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


Supreme Court and there hear the case on appeal and 
participate in rendering the decision of that court, 
which would either affirm or reverse the previous deci- 
sion. There was much criticism of this system, which 
tempted and permitted the judges of the Supreme 
Court to sustain the decisions rendered by them in the 
lower courts, and in 1888 that condition was shghtly 
changed by Congress, when it provided a fourth asso- 
ciate justice for the Territory. Hach justice was then 
disqualified from sitting m the appellate court when 
appeals from cases tried by him in the district court 
were being heard and determined. 

On the 19th of February, 1869, as previously noted, 
the Territorial Legislature, in joint session, elected 
Franklin D. Richards probate judge of Weber County. 
The territorial statutes had conferred upon the probate 
courts unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction in all 
cases at law and in equity, including divorce, concur- 
rent with the district courts, as well as exclusive juris- 
diction in all matters relating to the estates of 
decedents and guardianship. Judge Richards was also 
ex-officio judge of the county court of Weber County, 
consisting of the probate judge and three selectmen, 
elected by the people and having jurisdiction over the 
roads, bridges, public buildings and fiscal affairs of 
the county. His judicial position carried with it 
trifling compensation in the form of fees. 

In 1870, the Legislature provided that the pro- 
bate judges be elected biennially, and at the general 
election held on the 9th of August, that year, Franklin 
D. Richards was elected probate judge of Weber 
County by a large majority. He was also chosen to 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 191 


represent that county in the Territorial Legislature. 
His son Franklin was elected by a like majority to the 
offices of county clerk and county recorder. Judge 
Richards was re-elected to six successive terms. 

When it is recalled that the district courts at that 
time were held at only three places in the Territory— 
Salt Lake City, Provo and Beaver; that. but four terms 
of court were held annually in each district; and that 
the judges were non-residents of the Territory and 
strangers to the people, the inconvenience, hardships 
and delays occasioned by such a system can be readily 
understood, as well as the importance and convenience 
to the people of the probate courts, presided over by 
residents of their respective counties. 

The Probate Court of Weber County soon assumed 
a dignity scarcely less than that of the District Court. 
The advent of the railroad, with its junction in Weber 
County, and the Jarge lawless element that followed in 
its wake from the Missouri River on the East and the 
Pacific Ocean on the West, greatly increased the civil 
and criminal business of the Weber County Court. 
Moreover, in the spring of 1869, all the lands in Utah 
were brought into market by the Government, and it 
devolved upon the probate judges to enter townsites 
and adjudicate all titles to land situated within the 
cities and townsites of their respective counties. The 
county records of Weber County, including those of 
the county recorder’s office, were in a crude condi- 
tion in 1869, but were soon put into proper shape under 
the direction of Franklin §. Richards, the new clerk 
and recorder. 

Franklin D. Richards assumed the duties of Pro- 


192 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


bate Judge at a time when it became necessary to 
protect the people from the transitory criminal ele- 
ment that was crossing the continent, and was prone 
to committing all kinds of depredations and crimes 
along the way. The Sheriff’s forces were consider- 
ably increased, grand juries were more frequently 
empaneled, and longer terms of court were held. The 
primitive court house and jail, which, after long ser- 
vice, had become insufficient for the needs of that day, 
was taken down, and a modern, suitable and adequate 
building erected upon the site of the old structure. 

Kor years prior to that time, the Territorial, 
County and City taxes had not been fully collected, and 
the assessed values of property not only lacked uni- 
formity, but were unequal and far below the require- 
ments of the law. After considerable wrestling with 
this unpopular problem, a new assessor and collector 
was appointed, with instructions to fully observe the 
legal requirements in the matter of assessing and col- 
lecting all the taxes. The admonition was followed, and 
the revenues so obtained enabled the county to build 
the new court house and jail, which still stands as a 
part of the present edifice, although later it was en- 
larged by extension to the west. 

In 1874 Congress enacted the ‘‘ Poland Law’’ which 
abolished the offices of Territorial Attorney General 
and ‘Territorial Marshal, created by local legislative 
enactment, and placed the duties of these officers upon 
the United States District Attorney and United States 
Marshal, respectively. By the same Congressional 
enactment the probate courts were deprived of the 
jurisdiction they had so long exercised in civil and 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 193 


criminal cases, their jurisdiction being limited to di- 
vorce cases, the administration of the estates of dece- 
dents, the guardianship of minors, insane and incom- 
petent persons, and the adjudication of land titles 
under the townsite act. The Poland Law conferred 
upon probate judges and clerks of the district courts 
(the latter appointed by the district judges) power to 
select the names from which all grand and petit juries 
in the Territory should be drawn. 

In March, 1882, the law of Congress known as the 
‘‘Hdmunds Act’’ was approved by the President of the 
United States. The bill for this law was presented by 
Senator George F. Edmunds, of Vermont; hence the 
title of the enactment. It disfranchised all poly- 
gamists within the Territories and disqualified them 
from holding office. It provided for the appointment 
by the President, subject to confirmation by the 
Senate, of a board of five commissioners, and con- 
ferred upon them the power to supervise all elections 
to be held in the Territory. The Act of Congress con- 
ferred upon these commissioners power to appoint all 
county, city and precinct registration officers and 
judges of election, and to remove them at pleasure; 
also to canvass all election returns and issue certifi- 
cates of election to all persons elected to office. 

The Board, thus appointed, was known as the Utah 
Commission. Its members arrived so late upon the 
scene of their labors, that it was not. feasible to hold the 
general election in August of that year. When it was 
discovered that there was not sufficient time to appoint 
the registration officers and procure the registration 
of voters during the period appointed by law, so that a 


13 


194 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


legal election could be held, a bill then pending in 
Congress was so amended as to empower the Governor 
of the Territory to fill, by appointment, any vacancy 
that might be occasioned through failure to hold the 
election. Such was the origin of the ‘‘Hoar Amend- 
ment,’’ so called because presented by Senator Hoar, 
of Massachusetts. 

The law ereating the Territorial and County 
offices provided that officers should be chosen for a 
definite number of years,-and should hold their places 
until their successors were elected and qualified. But 
in order to secure a wholesale transfer of the offices 
in all the counties of the Territory from the ‘‘ Mormon”’ 
incumbents to non-‘‘ Mormons’”’ selected and appointed 
by himself, Governor Eli H. Murray declared all offices 
vacant which should have beem filled by election in 
August, 1882, and issued commissions appointing men 
to fill those places. 

The Governor appointed and commissioned James 
N. Kimball, of Ogden, to succeed Franklin D. Rich- 
ards as Probate Judge of Weber County; the reason 
assigned being that Judge Richards was ‘‘understood 
to be a polygamist.’’ But the latter held that there 
was no vacancy to be filled, inasmuch as he had been 
elected by the people and commissioned by this same 
Governor for a term of two years ‘‘from the first Mon- 
day in August, 1880, and until his successor shall be 
elected and qualified.’’ Judge Richards refused to 
retire, and defended his case in the courts. The Dis- 
trict Court and the Supreme Court of the Territory 
ruled against him, and the case was then appealed to 
the Supreme Court of the United States. There it was 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 195 


pending when the next. general election occurred, and 
Hon. Lewis W. Shurtliff, a ‘‘Mormon,’’ was chosen 
Probate Judge of Weber County. 

Judge Richards now cheerfully surrendered the 
office to his successor, Judge Shurtliff, and closed his 
judicial career, having maintained the rights of the 
people until they could elect his successor. Since the 
other appointees had awaited the final determination 
of the Kimball-Richards test case, he virtually pre- 
vented the transfer of all county offices from ‘‘ Mor- 
mons’’ to non-** Mormons.”’ 

The case was skillfully handled. By securing a 
supersedeas, pending the appeal to the Supreme Court 
at Washington, Mr. Kimball’s opponent kept him out 
of the probate judgeship till the electors could fill the 
office. In the laboridus work connected with this im- 
portant litigation Judge Richards had two shrewd and 
vigilant assistants—his sons Franklin 8S. and Charles 
C., both lawyers of ability and integrity. 

The activities and results of the Probate Court 
under the judgeship of Franklin D. Richards are thus 
set forth by the historian Tullidge: 

‘‘He was Probate and County Judge of Weber 
County continuously from the Ist day of March, 1869, 
until the 25th day of September, 1883. During this 
period of more than fourteen years, hundreds of suits 
for divorce and cases of estates for settlement were 
brought before him. In no single instance has his 
decisions in these matters been reversed by a higher 
tribunal. He adjudicated all the land titles in the im- 
portant city of Ogden and the populous towns of 
Huntsville, North Ogden, and Plain City. No one of 


196 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


these adjudications has ever been set aside by any 
court. For the first five years following his induction 
into office, his court had original and appellate juris- 
diction in all common law and chancery cases; before 
him were tried numerous civil suits, habeas corpus 
eases and trials of offenders charged with all crimes 
from misdemeanor to murder. Not one single judg- 
ment or decree rendered by him in all his lengthy gen- 
eral judicial service was reversed on appeal. His 
justice and humanity, united with keen legal sense, 
made his name proverbial. 

‘‘Mr. Richards retired from the office of Probate 
Judge in the fall of 1883, leaving an untarnished record. 
During his judicial career he sought the majesty of 
the law and avoided its chicanery. He ecarried.‘in one 
hand chastisement—in the other, mercy.’ His keen 
sense of justice and tenderness of soul insured that 
impartial and just administration of the law which 
commands respect for the judiciary and induces obe- 
dience to legislative enactment.’’ 


CHAPTER XIX 
DURING THE CRUSADE 


Proceedings Under the Edmunds Law—President Taylor Predicts a 
“Storm’’—The Church’s Attitude—First Presidency and Others in Exile— 
Franklin D. Richards the “Visible Head of the Church’—Anti-Polygamy 
Legislation—The Church Disincorporated and its Property Escheated—A Great 
Legal Battle—Franklin S. and Charles C. Richards to the Fore—Defeats 
and Victories—The Snow and Bassett Cases—Idaho’s Test Oath Law—The 
Manifesto—Administrative Labors—Timely Instructions. 

There was war between the Government of the 
United States and the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- 
ter-day Saints, a war of controversy and prosecution, 
and the period of its prevalence is known in local 
annals as ‘‘the days of the crusade and the under- 
ground.’’ It was so designated because of the pro- 
ceedings instituted against the Church and many of its 
leading men, under the Congressional legislation en- 
acted for the suppression of plural marriage, then 
practiced by a small percentage of the ‘‘Mormon”’ 
people; and because many of the Church leaders, 
‘‘wanted’’ by the United States Marshal for alleged 
infractions of the Edmunds law, were compelled by a 
sense of prudence to go into retirement, in order to 
escape the harsh proceedings and heavy penalties at- 
tendant upon the oppressive enforcement of the Act 
of Congress. In short, these prosecutions were con- 
sidered persecutions, actions not founded upon con- 
stitutional law nor upon criminating facts and 
circumstances. Such was the view taken by the 
‘‘Mormon”’ leaders and their followers. 

The chief man in ‘‘ Mormondom’’ at that time was 


198 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


President John Taylor, who had succeeded President 
Brigham Young as the head of the Church, after the 
latter’s death in August, 1877. President Taylor’s 
counselors were George @. Cannon and Joseph F. 
Smith. 

As early as April, 1882, soon after the enactment 
of the Edmunds Law, and during the General Confer- 
ence of the Church, President Taylor had predicted 
a ‘‘storm,’’ and briefly outlined the attitude of the 
Church toward the ederal-Government and its repres- 
sive legislation. Said the venerable leader: 

‘‘We do not wish to place ourselves in a state of 
antagonism, nor act defiantly, toward this Government. 
We will fulfill the letter, so far as practicable, of that 
unjust, inhuman, oppressive and unconstitutional law. 
* * * But we cannot sacrifice every principle of 
humanright. * * * While we are God-fearing and 
law-abiding, and respect all honorable men and officers, 
we are no craven serfs, and have not learned to lick 
the feet of oppressors, nor to bow in base submission to 
unreasoning clamor. We will contend, inch by inch, 
legally and constitutionally, for our rights as American 
eitizens.’’ 

President Taylor’s prediction was fully verified. 
The ‘‘storm’’ came, and for several years it raged with 
more or less fury in Utah, Idaho, and Arizona, where- 
ever *‘Mormon”’ settlements had been made. The 
Church leaders and others of less prominence were 
relentlessly pursued. Many men were fined and sent 
to prison for living with their plural wives, and even 
women were incarcerated for refusing to answer, be- 
fore grand juries or in open court, questions deemed 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 199 


by them improper, and as tending to elicit evidence to 
convict the men they loved and to whom they had 
borne children in what to them was holy wedlock. 

During the early part of 1885 Presidents John Tay- 
lor and Joseph F’. Smith, with several of the Apostles, 
visited the Saints in Arizona and New Mexico, there to 
counsel with the local leaders and their associates and 
instruct them how to proceed in protecting and defend- 
ing themselves in the courts. 

On returning home President Taylor found condi- 
tions such as to compel him to go into retirement, to 
avoid the results of what he deemed an unjust and 
unlawful interpretation and enforcement of the law. 
Before doing so, however, on Sunday, February Ist, at 
the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, he preached a power- 
ful discourse in which he related his visit to the far 
south and told of the counsel he had given there. He 
now repeated that counsel, advising all to be patient 
and commit no violence, even if the officers of the law 
should exceed their authority. This proved to be the 
President’s last appearance in public, for he imme- 
diately went into seclusion, and so remained until his 
death, July 25, 1887. 

From the date of President Taylor’s retirement 
(February, 1885) he and his first. counselor, President 
George Q. Cannon, were in exile; President Joseph F. 
Smith was in Hawaii; President Wilford Woodruff 
(the senior member in the Quorum of the Twelve) was 
in Arizona; and Apostle Lorenzo Snow, during much of 
the time, in prison for conscience sake. Of those who re- 
mained at liberty and were not being sought by the Fed- 
eral authorities, Franklin D. Richards was the leading 


200 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


Church official. He was referred to as ‘‘the visible 
head of the Church,’’ and directed its affairs under the 
advice and instruction, so far as possible, of the exiled 
Presidency. 

Congressional action upon the subject of polygamy 
had begun as early as 1862, when a law was enacted 
prohibiting polygamy (classed as bigamy) in the Ter- 
ritories over which the United States had jurisdiction. 
This law was not enforced, many ‘‘Gentiles’’ as well 
as the ‘‘ Mormons”’ regarding it as unconstitutional. 

Twenty years passed, and then came the Edmunds 
Law, which emphasized the criminality of plural mar- 
riage, disqualified polygamists from voting or holding 
office, and made cohabitation by a man with more than 
one woman a crime punishable by fine and imprison- 
ment. This was construed by the courts to apply only 
to the marriage relation, and not to meretricious ¢o- 
habitation. The law excluded ‘‘Mormons”’ in general 
from sitting as Jurors in prosecutions for polygamy— 
the act of plural marriage—and unlawful cohabitation, 
which was construed as association by a man with his 
plural wife, whether he was living with his legal wife 
at the time or not, and regardless of whether there were 
sexual relations between him and his plural wife. The 
district and supreme courts also held that a grand jury 
might return an indictment for unlawful cohabitation 
covering a period of three years (after which prose- 
cution was barred by the statute of limitations), or it 
might divide and subdivide the time and return several 
indictments for cohabitation during that period. This 
process was called ‘‘segregation.”’ 

In March, 1887, Congress supplemented the Ed- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 201 


munds Act with the Edmunds-Tucker Law, by which 
legal wives were made competent witnesses against 
their husbands. It provided also that attachments 
might issue for witnesses, compelling them to appear 
immediately without having been previously sum- - 
moned. All marriages were to be publicly recorded, 
and probate judges were to be appointed by the Presi- 
dent of the United States. The Attorney General was 
directed to institute the necessary proceedings in court 
to forfeit and escheat to the Government, for the benefit 
of the common schools, all properties held by the 
Church in excess of fifty thousand dollars—exempted 
by the anti-bigamy act of 1862. The Church of 
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was disincorporated 
and the Attorney General was directed to begin pro- 
ceedings to wind up its affairs as a corporation. The 
Perpetual Emigration Fund Company was dissolved, 
and its property escheated to the Government for the 
benefit of the common schools. The office of Territorial 
Superintendent of District Schools was abolished and 
the duties thereof were placed upon a Commissioner of 
Schools, to be appointed by the Supreme Court of the 
Territory. Female suffrage was abolished, and the 
militia statutes were disapproved. The Territory was 
to be re-districted for the election of members of the 
Legislature. All persons convicted of polygamy or 
unlawful cohabitation were disfranchised; and as a 
condition precedent to the right to vote, hold office or 
serve upon juries, every male citizen was required to 
subseribe to and take an oath promising obedience to 
the anti-polygamy-cohabitation laws and not to teach, 
aid or advise any violation thereof. 


202 FRANKLIN) D. RICHARDS 


The Latter-day Saints, having accepted plural mar- 
riage as a divine institution, sanctioned by the Bible 
as well as by the examples of early patriarchs and 
prophets, considered these laws against it a violation of 
the Constitution of the United States, the first amend- 
ment of which declares: ‘‘Congress shall make no law 
respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting 
the free exercise thereof.’’ Also, Article Six of the 
Constitution says: ‘‘In all criminal prosecutions the 
accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public 
trial by an impartial jury.’’ Still another provision 
reads: ‘*No expost facto laws shall be passed.”’ 

For these reasons the ‘‘ Mormon”’ leaders continued 
to associate with and support their plural wives, and as 
a consequence some of them were sent to prison, while 
others were heavily fined. Many went into exile, and 
a great legal battle was fought for the preservation ot 
what the Latter-day Saints considered their constitu- 
tional rights. In this contest they were finally de- 
feated. 

All through the legal controversy Apostle Rich- 
ards’ eldest son, Franklin 8., was called to take an 
active part, as counsel for the Church. Many years 
before, he had been advised by President Brigham 
Young, to study law, so that he might become useful 
in defending the rights of his people; for in those early 
days there were few lawyers in the Church, and fewer 
outside who felt friendly towards it. When the fight 
began the responsibility of directing it devolved upon 
Franklin 8. Richards, aided by his brother Charles and 
such other attorneys as it was thought fit to employ. 
Many important cases were tried, and many legal argu- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 203 


ments made by the Richards brothers and associate 
counsel in the territorial courts, which, through preju- 
dice and zeal to convict, generally ruled against them. It 
became necessary to appeal several of these cases to 
the Supreme Court of the United States, where some 
notable victories were won. 

Mention will be made of two such cases: Apostle 
Lorenzo Snow was arrested in November, 1885, and 
indicted for unlawful cohabitation with his plural 
wives. Three indictments were returned, covering a 
period of one year each, when there should have 
been but one indictment for the three years. ‘To this 
strange proceeding strenuous objection was made, it 
being contended by the defendant’s counsel that but 
one offense could be charged for the three years pre- 
ceding the return of the indictment. The District 
Court and the Supreme Court of the Territory upheld 
the segregation doctrine, the latter, on appeal, sustain- 
ing the indictments and judgments of the former, and 
holding that the defendant was lable to pay three 
separate fines of three hundred dollars each and to 
serve three separate terms of imprisonment of six 
months each—the maximum penalty for unlawful co- 
habitation. Apostle Snow’s wives all testified that 
he lived only with his plural wife Minnie; but the 
Court held that the law presumed cohabitation with the 
legal wife, and as it was not denied that he had also 
eohabited with Minnie, he was convicted of the three 
offenses charged in the indictment. 

After he had served the first sentence of six months 
imprisonment. in the Utah Penitentiary, and had paid 
the three-hundred-dollar fine, his attorneys applied to 


204 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


Chief Justice Zane for a writ of habeas corpus, seeking 
thereby to obtain a decision that there could be but one 
offense charged and but one penalty of fine and im- 
prisonment imposed. The Chief Justice denied the 
writ, and the case was taken immediately to the Su- 
preme Court of the United States. Franklin 8. Rich- 
ards made an able argument. before that tribunal, and 
on February 7, 1887, the Court decided that the doc- 
trine of ‘‘segregation’’ was illegal, since the offense of 
unlawful cohabitation was a continuing one, and there- 
fore but one indictment could be found for the entire 
period. As a result of this decision, having paid one 
fine and served one term. of imprisonment (with extra 
time while awaiting the decision from Washington) 
the Apostle was discharged from custody. That deci- 
sion affected hundreds of cases, and effectually dis- 
posed of the segregation doctrine, by means of which 
the prosecuting officers had declared their intention 
to have some of the ‘‘Mormon”’ leaders imprisoned for 
life. 

The other case was that of Bishop Bassett, who, 
in January, 1887, was convicted in the District Court 
upon the testimony of his former legal wife. The 
Territorial Supreme Court affirmed the conviction, and 
an appeal was then taken to the Supreme Court of the 
United States, where the case was reversed. In its 
decision, the Court used the following language: ‘‘The 
wife is not competent, except in cases of violence upon 
her person, directly to criminate her husband, or to 
disclose that which she has learned from him in their 
eonfidential intercourse. ‘This rule is founded upon 
the deepest and soundest principles which have grown 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 205 


out of those domestic relations that constitute the basis 
of civil society, and which are essential to the enjoy- 
ment of that confidence which should subsist between 
those who are connected by the nearest and dearest 
relations of life. To break down or impair the great 
principles which protect the sanctities of husband and 
wife, would be to destroy the best solace of human ex- 
istence.’’ 

The printed transcripts, briefs and arguments pre- 
pared, filed and orally presented to the Supreme Court 
of the Territory and to the Court of Last Resort, in the 
several cases appealed to those tribunals by Franklin 
S. Richards and his associates, not only made records 
of the legal defenses of the ‘‘Mormon’’ people, but in 
some cases their history and teachings, including their 
Articles of Faith, were set forth in the published pro- 
ceedings. ‘Thus was the Gospel preached to the Su- 
preme Court and to the Nation. This result was 
highly gratifying to the Church, whose object has ever 
been to spread its literature abroad and have its true 
position properly understood by the people of this and 
other nations. The Saints looked upon it as an instance 
of the over-ruling power of God ‘‘causing the wrath of 
man to praise Him.”’ 

About this time the State of Idaho, where many 
Latter-day Saints resided, passed an election law pre- 
scribing a test oath, prohibiting any person who 
claimed membership in an organization that recog- 
nized the rightfulness of polygamy, from voting or 
holding office. This law was declared constitutional by 
the Supreme Court of the Nation, and soon thereafter 


206 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


a bill of similar import was introduced in Congress to 
apply to all the Territories. 

By this time, President John Taylor had passed 
away, dying in exile, worn out with the cares and trials 
of that period of stress and storm. His successor was 
President Wilford Woodruff, who chose for counselors 
those of his predecessor, namely, George Q. Cannon and 
Joseph F. Smith. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 
has always held that the Constitution was divinely in- 
spired, and has defined its position in support of con- 
stituted laws and government in one of its articles 
of faith, as follows: ‘‘We believe in being subject to 
kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates, and 1n obey- 
ing, honoring and sustaining the law.”’ 

When the Saints were prevented by their enemies 
from settling in Jackson County, Missouri, and build- 
ing a temple there, the Lord said through the Prophet 
Joseph: ‘‘When I give a commandment to any of the 
sons of men * * * and the sons of men go with 
all their might * * * \to. perform” thatiwors 
* * * and their enemies come upon them and hinder 
them * * * behold it behooveth me to require that 
no more of the children of men, but to accept of their 
offering.’’ (Doctrine and Covenants, Section 124:49.) 

The anti-‘‘Mormon’’ legislation having been de- 
clared constitutional by the Court of Last Resort, and 
the Government having demonstrated its intention to 
vigorously and mercilessly enforce the same, President 
Woodruff, on the 25th of September, 1890, issued the 
Manifesto, advising the people to submit to the law. 
The Manifesto was approved and adopted by the Gen- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 207 


eral Conference on October 6th of the same year. This 
was followed by the dissolution of the People’s and 
Liberal parties, then active throughout the Territory, 
and the division of the citizens on national party lines. 
Tt also opened the way for the admission of Utah into 
the Union. 

Mention has been made of the distinguished ser- 
vice rendered by Hon. Franklin 8. Richards, both in 
the Kimball-Richards case, and in the litigation that 
arose under the Edmunds Act and the Edmunds-Tucker 
Law. But this does not tell it all. For more than forty- 
five years that gentleman has been general attorney for 
the Church, and on many occasions has defended with 
skill and ability the rights of the people and their 
leaders before the Supreme Court of the Nation. He 
was City Attorney for Salt Lake City several years, 
and the leader of the People’s party in its last muni- 
cipal campaign. He served in and presided over the 
upper house of the Territorial Legislature, and was a 
conspicuous and active member of the Constitutional 
Convention which framed the fundamental law of the 
State of Utah. 

His brother, Hon. Charles C. Richards, is scarcely 
less noted, having been for many years a prominent 
lawyer in Ogden and later in Salt Lake City. He was 
a member for three terms in the Territorial and State 
legislatures, Speaker of the House in 1919, Secretary 
of the Territory when Utah was admitted as a State, 
and later Assistant Attorney General of the United 
States. As Acting-Governor, in the absence of Gover- 
nor Caleb W. West, Utah’s last Territorial executive, 
it devolved upon Secretary Richards to hand over the 


208 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


control of the commonwealth to Governor Heber M. 
Wells, the newly elected State executive, on Inaugura- 
tion Day. | 

Reverting now to the period preceding the Mani- 
festo. Franklin D. Richards and his wives, when they 
saw what seemed to be an irreconcilable conflict be- 
tween the Government and those living in plural 
marriage relations, conformed their mode of life to the 
requirements of the law. He continued, however, to 
support those dependent upon him, and to give them 
such consideration and attention as circumstances 
would permit. By so doing, at a time when his advice 
and service were greatly needed, he was free to dis- 
charge his public duties and responsibilities, unhamp- 
ered by interference of Federal officials. 

From October, 1884, to October, 1887, the general 
conferences of the Church did not convene in Salt Lake 
City, as had long been the custom, but were held at 
Logan, Coalville, and Provo, where the enemies of the 
Saints were not so numerous nor so active as at and 
in the vicinity of the capital. At these conferences 
Apostle Richards presided. He also acted ad interim 
as the administrative or ‘‘visible head of the Church,”’ 
under such counsel and direction as the exiled Presi- 
dency were able to give. 

It was a period of general consternation and ex- 
citement, when coolness, courage, and great wisdom 
were necessary; and these qualities he manifested to 
a remarkable degree. His affable, gentle, Christian 
nature, and the divine inspiration of his sacred calling 
were shown forth abundantly. No brother or sister 
came to him for counsel without receiving it, and it was 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 209 


given in that sweet, sympathetic spirit that always 
characterized his intercourse with his fellow-men, 
especially his brethren and sisters in the Church. 
There was no intrigue of the enemies of Zion, so dark 
and diabolical, but he possessed a sublime faith and 
conviction that God would overrule for good their evil 
plans and purposes. In the darkest hours his courage 
never quailed; he was faithful to every trust, and dili- 
gent and energetic in the discharge of every duty. Such 
an inspiration accompanied all that he said and did, 
that he was truly a pillar of strength in the house 
of the Lord, and a wonderful comfort to the afflicted 
Saints. In all this we witness the fulfillment of the 
promise made to him by President Heber C. Kimball, 
when ordaining him to the Apostleship, to hold the 
keys and powers thereof in connection with the Twelve 
Apostles of the Lamb, and to ‘‘be equal with them, and 
not a whit behind.’’ 

This chapter finds an appropriate ending in the 
following selections from discourses delivered by our 
Apostle in the years 1883 and 1885, at conferences 
where he presided: 

‘‘The Savior said, I am the vine and ye are the 
branches. At another time: I am the vine and my 
father is the husbandman. The Book of Mormon speaks 
of the Lord going forth to prune his vineyard for the 
last time, and I wish to say to the Elders of Israel that 
we are engaged in that labor. We are not laboring 
for ourselves alone, but for those who have gone before, 
for those who are now living, and for future genera- 
tions. If we adhere to the Vine we shall bear good ~ 


fruit. Jesus said, Every branch in me beareth fruit, 
14 


210 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


and that which beareth not fruit shall be taken away 
and cast into the fire. The Vine has many branches. 
First and next to the trunk are three branches—the 
First Presidency. Growing out of and receiving 
nourishment from them are the Twelve Apostles and 
other branches of the Vine. Any injury to one of them 
affects adversely all. It is therefore important that all 
the branches should avail themselves of every opportu- 
nity for receiving nourishment. Every Stake in the 
Church should be represented at these conferences, so 
that any items of instruction given here may be distrib- 
uted to the Saints over whom these officers preside. The 
Presidents of Stakes should be here, and if this is not 
possible, someone should represent them who will prop- 
erly report the teachings and business of the conference. 
We should feel dependent upon God, and listen to and 
obey the counsel of those above us. A contrary course 
has led to the apostasy and destruction of many. There 
is ho way of keeping alive other than by adhering to 
the Vine, receiving our due portion of nourishment, and 
conveying it on until it reaches the remotest twig. 
Hiven as the roots of a vine are nearly alike in form with 
the branches, so also is the organization of the Church 
below to the Church above, and we should live so as to 
enjoy the same spirit that exists above. The fruit of 
this Vine will be a nation of kings and priests unto 
God; the Savior when He comes will want to find men 
qualified to preside and minister in the various parts 
of the Lord’s vineyard. Then let every man learn his 
duty and stand fast in the trust to which the Lord has 
called him, lest he be moved out of his place. May God 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 211 


help us to so live that we shall bear fruit to his honor 
and glory and be worthy of his great salvation.”’ 

‘‘The principles of the Gospel are very dear and 
very glorious, and we who possess them ought to rejoice 
above all men on earth. We may look to the east, to 
the west, to the north and to the south, and see govern- 
ments, peoples, nations, all kindreds and tongues, 
stirred up with a spirit of strife and of ambition to 
surpass one another. There is a continual commotion 
among them in their political affairs, in their civil 
relations, a striving to excel and to gain advantage. 
Disturbances are continually going on, and many of 
the nations are on the verge of bankruptcy, by reason 
of the vast debts they have incurred in order to maine 
tain their numerous armies even in times of peace. 
Here among this people, though our liberties are men- 
aced and our outward peace at times disturbed, yet by 
the blessing of God we enjoy peace in our hearts, such 
as the wicked cannot give nor take away. The voice of 
Him who spake to the waves of Gennesaret, command- 
ing them to be still, speaks to us, and while dark clouds 
gather and there are thunderings and lightnings over 
the political horizon, yet in the hearts and habitations 
of the just there is peace such as the wicked know not 
of. It bespeaks the fulfillment of the revelation which 
declares that the people of Zion shall be the only people 
that will not be at war one with another, and that the 
day will come when they who will not take up the 
sword against their neighbor, must needs flee unto 
Zion for safety.’’ 

‘‘We lament the absence of our brethren of the 
First Presidency and several of the Council of the 


212 BRAN KICDNG (DO RLG OAR OS 


Twelve Apostles. We would be thankful and glad if 
we could have them all with us, but we are pleased that 
so many of us can be with you as are here. We hope 
the conference will result in strengthening the good 
resolutions of every Latter-day Saint, in invigorating 
the energies of all who are in anywise afflicted, or 
oppressed with temptations and trials of any kind. 
The Lord told the brethren in his day—those whom 
He appointed, laid his hands upon, and ordained 
to the Apostleship—that this would be their heritage; 
that they would be vilified and haled to prison, and that 
men would think they were doing God service in taking 
their lives. And, said He, ‘Is the servant greater than 
his master?’ No, He told them that when they ex- 
perienced these things they were to lift up their heads 
and rejoice; for great was their reward in heaven. 
Therefore, we have the assurance that if we are true 
and faithful we shall suffer trials and temptations for 
the principles of the Gospel, as the Saints did in former 
days, and as Joseph and Hyrum and the brethren of 
the Apostles, with a host of Elders, have done in these 
latter days. 

‘These things but strengthen us to stand true to 
the holy faith of the Gospel, to the principles, ordi- 
nances and institutions which the Lord has revealed 
unto us. We may expect to meet opposition on every 
hand, and our opposition may come in a different form 
from what our brethren formerly had to endure; we 
should, however, be armed with the spirit of divine 
truth, so that we may comprehend our duty under 
every circumstance and every condition in life. I know 
some of the brethren feel that it is a very serious thing 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS Zid 


to be cast into prison. Why, there is many a thing 
worse than that. It is a thousand times better to go to 
prison than to deny the principles of the Gospel, and 
to be forsaken of the Holy Spirit. 

‘There is a portion of the writings of the Het era: 
Paul to the Ephesians, that seems so appropriate to our 
condition, that I will read it. It is a part of the sixth 
chapter, commencing at the tenth verse: 

‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and 
in the power of his might. | 

‘Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be 
able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 

‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but 
against principalities, against powers, against the 
rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual 
wickedness in high places. 

‘Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, 
that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and 
. having done all, to stand. 

‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with 
truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness.’ 

‘One of the greatest and ablest expounders of the 
law, from the time of Justinian down to his day, was 
the renowned Sir William Blackstone. When people 
of various nations had settled together in the island 
of Britain—some from the northern parts of Scandi- 
navia, others from Brittany, and still others from dit- 
ferent parts of the German or Saxon nations—and had 
collected the laws of those countries for the purpose of 
having them assimilated, so that the people might have 
one established usage for the regulation of their civil 
and criminal procedure in the adjudication of their 


214 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


differences with each other, the learned Blackstone 
undertook the great task, and from the alembic of his 
powerful mind brought forth and enunciated his views 
of the law. His published commentaries have been held 
to be the basis of jurisprudence among all English- 
speaking people. 

‘This wise and famous jurist, one of the greatest 
legal lights of the ages, declares emphatically that man 
has no right to make any law contrary to or in conflict 
with the law of God. I wish every lawyer throughout 
the nation would read that and understand it; for when 
they depart from this rule they become apostates from 
the faith of true legal jurisprudence, as laid down by 
this distinguished apostle of the law. Furthermore, he 
held that the laws which should regulate or constitute 
the jurisprudence of every nation were derived from 
and based upon the laws revealed from heaven to the 
Prophet Moses. This learned man showed that the 
Ten Commandments, those ancient statutes of the All- 
wise God, were the basis and fundamental principles 
of all law, justice and legal administration that should 
govern the human family. 

‘*Ah! says one, you people in the mountains, num- 
bering only one hundred and fifty thousand or two 
hundred thousand, must not talk that way; for here 
is a great nation of fifty-five millions who say you 
shall not do this thing, or, if you do, you cannot have a 
place with us. Well, we admit that there are about 
three hundred people in the United States to each 
Latter-day Saint, and that they say we must put away 
this doctrine, or we cannot dwell in the land. That is 
a terrible majority against us. * * #* 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 215 


‘But all the fathers who have gone before, the 
Prophet Joseph, Brother Hyrum, the Apostles and 
Patriarchs, the Elders, High Priests, and hosts of 
others, to say nothing of the fathers of our generation, 
hundreds of years back, are all around us, waiting, 
watching and anxious to see us go forward and tri- 
umph; so that we really have more for us than against 
us, the fifty-five millions to the contrary notwithstand- 
ing. ‘Therefore, we have no occasion to let our heads 
hang down from fear, or our knees to tremble; not a 
bit of it. Our numbers may seem small, but I tell you, 
my brethren and sisters, that one of the greatest evils 
existing in our midst today, is that there are too many 
ofus. You may think that is a hard saying; but there 
are people among us who are committing all manner of 
sins and transgressions—people who drink with the 
drunken and spend their substance with harlots and 
in riotous living. All such should be severed from the 
Church, unless they repent speedily. The numbers 
should be reduced, like unto the army of Gideon. The 
Lord told Gideon that he had too big an army, and it 
was reduced (in the manner related in the seventh 
chapter of Judges) from two and thirty thousand down 
to three hundred, which was all the Lord wanted. The 
others were told to go home, and Gideon, by following 
the instructions of the Lord, put to flight all the hosts 
of the Midianites and Amalekites, who were said to be 
‘like grasshoppers for multitude.’ 

“There are too many of us who are not living as 
Latter-day Saints ought to live. (Again, there are 
many who walk by other men’s light. If they whose 
duty it is will only put away from us those who will 


216 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


not serve God, we shall find ourselves strengthened in 
the work committed to our care. If we will but do 
what is right, we need not fear what our enemies can 
do. The Lord only wants the honest, the obedient, 
the faithful, and He will ‘turn the world upside down, 
waste the inhabitants thereof, and glorify himself by 


his people.’ ”’ 


CHAPTER xX 
A PILGRIMAGE TO SACRED PLACES 


Burial Place of Mormon Battalion Boys, Pueblo, Colorado—Jackson 
County, Missouri—Carthage Jail—Nauvoo—Former Homes of Franklin D., 
and Willard Richards—Other Points of Interest in the City of Joseph—Part 
of Book of Monmon Manuscript Procured—At Richmond, Missouri—David 
Whitmer’s Testimony. 

In the spring of 1885 our Apostle went upon a 
journey that may very properly be termed a pilgrim- 
age, to various places made memorable and sacred by 
events of tragic interest in the history of the Latter-day 
Saints. He was gone but two weeks and two days, or 
from the 9th to the 25th of May; yet in that brief 
period he traveled thousands of miles, met and con- 
versed with many people, and gazed upon sights and 
scenes hallowed with memories and reminiscences of 
earlier times. His account of this journey is very enter- 
taining and edifying. It was written in June of that 
year, only a few days after his return from his travels. 

His first stopping place after leaving Utah was 
Pueblo, Colorado, a town whose name will always be 
associated with the famous march of the Mormon Bat- 
talion. It was there that young Joseph Richards died, 
as related in an earlier chapter, and it was there that 
his brother Franklin chose to begin the story of his 
pilgrimage—the narrative here recorded: 

‘‘Nearly forty years ago Joseph William Rich- 
ards, seventeen years of age, was mustered into the 
Mormon Battalion at Council Bluffs. He was enrolled 
as a drummer boy in Company A, under Captain J effer- 
son Hunt, on the 16th day of July, 1846. After some 


218 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


months of fatiguing service—too arduous for his youth- 
ful frame, he was seized with a mortal illness, and was 
left with other sick of the devoted band, at the old 
stockade of Pueblo, in Colorado. In the chilling month 
of November he died, and was buried with several dead 
comrades a short distance from the fort. His last 
breath was drawn while he lay in the arms of Brother 
Caratat Rowe, who had nursed him with all the care 
and fidelity of a brother. This veteran of the Mexican 
War now lives at Mt. Pleasant, Sanpete County, Utah. 
From his kindly hands I received a plan of the lonely 
cemetery in the desert where the remains of my young 
brother and his loyal compatriots were consigned to 
mother earth. 

‘‘or several years I had been possessed of a very 
strong desire to visit this locality, and make an effort 
to find the spot sanctified by the dust of our dead 
heroes. Having been counseled and encouraged in the 
plan by President Taylor, I determined to take the 
necessary journey; and, if any trace of the graves could 
be found, to designate and protect the spot in some 
appropriate way. In pursuance of this project, with 
my son Charles, I took passage from Salt Lake City 
on the 9th of May last, via the Denver and Rio Grande 
Railway. 

‘‘It has been my fortune, in the providence of the 
Almighty, to traverse a goodly portion of this country 
and some parts of Europe, which are world-famed for 
their fine scenery. But I have long been of the opinion 
that our own Rocky Mountain scenery is unsurpassed 
for variety and sublimity. This feeling of admiration 
for the mountains, valleys, and waters of the great 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 219 


West was intensified upon my recent trip. The Grand 
Canyon of the Arkansas, the Black Canyon, and the 
Royal Gorge are appalling in their grandeur. The 
sensation of rapid travel among these mighty works 
of nature is delightful and awe-inspiring. We were 
whirled at the rate of forty miles an hour, by the side 
of brawling torrents, beneath perpendicular or over- 
hanging cliffs—the tops of which were cloud-rests; 
around dizzy passes and across stupendous chasms, All 
the time our train was laboring upon its sinuous up- 
ward track or gliding swiftly downward upon its wind- 
ing way. In all this mountain travel there seemed to 
be no level stretch and scarcely a tangent upon which 
the train could stand at its full length. 

‘‘We reached Pueblo on the evening of the 10th, 
and sought information upon the subject of our visit 
from the oldest settlers in the place. We met with 
courteous treatment from Judge Smith, from a member 
of the State Legislature, and from other prominent 
gentlemen; and secured the services of Mr. Lewis Con- 
ley, who had lived in that locality about forty years. 
When I showed him the plan furnished by Elder Rowe 
he was astonished at its accuracy and extent. From 
Mr. Conley’s recollection and the draft which we car- 
ried with us, we made a most diligent search, sparing 
nothing that could assist us in the effort to find the 
burial place of our dead; but without avail. Every 
trace was obliterated. The earthly tabernacles of our 
friends had been deposited within the sound of the 
never-ceasing Arkansas. Twice during the long inter- 
val of time which had elapsed since the melancholy 
event, that. turbulent river had inundated the sur- 


220 FRANKLIN D, RICHARDS 


rounding country, each time completely changing its 
channel, and carrying away upon its raging bosom 
the habitations of death and of life. No hillock of any 
kind marks the last resting place of the Battalion boys 
who died at Pueblo. 

‘‘Tn later years, when settlers came into the region, 
they buried their dead out of the reach of the waters, 
upon a high bluff overlooking the old fort. Still later, 
when the present town began to extend itself, the 
human remains were exhumed and removed out from 
that rude graveyard to a new cemetery, where they 
would not obstruct the onward march of the town. But 
we could not learn that any bodies had ever been taken 
up from the river bottom. Even after receiving posi- 
tive assurance that the graves we sought had been 
swept away or covered up by the Arkansas, we contin- 
ued our search and made careful examination of the 
new place of interment. The only result of this extra 
effort was to fully satisfy us that we had done every- 
thing in the matter which could be accomplished. And 
our final conclusion was that though we could tell 
within a comparatively short distance the spot where 
our brethren had been laid to rest, we could not desig- 
nate it with sufficient accuracy for any practical use. 

‘*Disappointed in this labor of duteous love, we 
were compelled to depart from the town, leaving only 
a prayer upon the field which to us was sacred. We 
visited Denver, Manitou Springs, Cave of the Winds, 
Glen Eyre and the Garden of the Gods, in Colorado; 
and found much to instruct and entertain. On the 13th 
ult. we took a train at Colorado Springs for Kansas 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 221 


City, Missouri, at which point we arrived on the eve- 
ning of the day following. 

‘Shortly after our arrival we were made ac- 
quainted with Mr. William Epperson, who gave us the 
pleasure of an introduction to Mr. Archibald Means 
Rodgers, whose dwelling place is near the town of 
Independence, in Jackson County, Missouri. This 
town was our next destination, and when we reached 
it on the 16th ult., we were met by Mr. Rodgers, who 
carried us about in his vehicle to view the sights of the 
locality. Among many noted objects we were shown 
the outlaw Frank James, whose deeds of violence have 
made his name a household dread throughout the states 
of Missouri, Kentucky, Kansas and Iowa. 

‘‘This County of Jackson claims to have more and 
better pure-bred stock than any other district of 
Missouri, and Missouri asserts that she is not behind 
any other State in these respects. The residents take 
ereat pride in showing their fine animals to strangers. 

‘‘Around this point stretches a goodly land, smil- 
ing to heaven in its plenty. That region, so far as its 
natural facilities are concerned, is above all other places 
choice and precious. Here we saw the spot designated 
by the finger of Almighty God as the place where a 
Temple should be built to his name. It is a beautiful 
enclosure, bearing a luxuriant crop of grass, and sur- 
rounded by shade trees, which have been recently 
planted. But there is no building of any kind upon 
it. The popular sentiment is that should any private 
or commercial edifice be placed there, Omnipotence 
would punish the sacrilege by the destruction of the 
desecrating structure. The Josephites appear to be set- 


222 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


tling here in considerable numbers. They have secured 
a title to the Temple lot. The title was awarded to 
them by a decree of court, and has been vested in a 
board of trustees. These followers of the deceived son 
of the immortal Prophet. appear to meet with great 
favor in this section of Missouri. This is very natural, 
for in the beginning of that bogus organization, the new 
leader announced that he would not promulgate any 
principle as a revelation which the people would object 
to. Of course the design was to build up a sect that 
would not meet with the opposition which the Church 
of Christ had encountered under the leadership of the 
martyred Prophet. Popularity was and is still sought 
for, and some of their members quote with great pleas- 
ure and evident satisfaction the favor with which they 
and their doctrines are received. 

‘“The Josephites at Independence are called ‘Mor- 
mons,’ and the sharp-sighted speculators of that neigh- 
borhood, knowing how attractive Salt Lake City has 
been to tourists, hope by the means of this people and 
their labors, to make Independence a place of interest 
to the traveler, a hope, I need not say, that will never 
be realized through such agencies. 

‘‘There are promises made by the Lord concerning 
Independence, but no people, however zealous and 
however determined they may be to realize these prom- 
ises, can ever succeed in so doing, unless they are the 
people whom He has chosen and whom He recognizes 
as his own. 

‘rom Independence, so full of vital interest for 
us, we departed for Chicago, which we reached on 
Sunday afternoon, the 17th ultimo. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 223 


‘‘ After spending three days in sight-seeing in and 
about Chicago, we arrived on the 20th, at Carthage, 
Hancock County, Ulinois. To this point our thoughts 
had long tended. The moment we reached the town we 
sought out the historic jail. It is now occupied as a 
dwelling house by James M. Browning, a respectable 
and courteous man who has held the office of county 
treasurer. ‘Today it seems a place of peace. ‘To the 
casual observer it would possess not even a passing 
interest. But to us who held the knowledge of the 
events which had transpired within its walls, of the 
dark cloud of sin which had rested upon it, and of the 
mighty martyrdom which had cried aloud to heaven 
from its bullet-torn frame, there was something go 
impressive in its every stone that our hearts were filled 
with solemnity, and our eyes with tears. We went into 
the room which had been the prison-place of God’s 
servants previous to the murderous attack. We stood 
upon the self-same floor which was trodden by the feet 
of Joseph and Hyrum and John Taylor and Willard 
Richards on that cruel day of slaughter. We saw the 
hole in the door made by the bullet which gave Hyrum 
his mortal wound. We bowed over the spot where he 
fell exclaiming, ‘I am a dead man.’ With chastened 
feelings, we stood at the door frame and recalled how 
President Taylor had interposed his body between 
the Prophet and his bloodthirsty assailants, and how 
he had struggled to beat back the guns of the murder- 
ers, while they were discharging a torrent of flames 
and lead. We leaned from the famous window whence 
the Prophet had leaped or fallen, and from which Presi- 
dent Taylor, wounded and stricken, was thrown back 


224 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


by the providential bullet that struck his watch, shat- 
tered it, and cast him upon the floor. We thought of 
this wonderful interposition of almighty power which 
saved his life for the great purposes which God has 
since accomplished through him, and which are yet in 
store. We retraced our steps down that tragic stair- 
way which had once been crowded with devils in human 
form; and sought the well where Joseph Smith, the 
Prophet of God, had ended his earthly career. But 
it is now filled up. The spot, however, is easily dis- 
cernible. It is a dainty flower-bed, bearing masses of 
pure and fragrant blossoms. It was sweet to see the 
spot so hallowed, this ground where Joseph lay 
stretched in death, ‘when the fiend approached with a 
knife to sever the head from his body, and was stopped 
by a flash of lightning from the heavens.’ With the 
remembrance of all these things upon us, recalling the 
blackness of that hour, the woes of our subsequent 
wrongs, and then looking at the wondrous condition of 
the Church today, we were lost in a wilderness of emo- 
tions. There was much sadness in this visit, and the 
memories which it called forth. But there was a com- 
pensating sensation of triumph in the thought of the 
utter powerlessness of mankind—even though ealling 
murder and rapine to their aid—to war successfully 
against what has within itself the seeds of divine 
progress. 

‘‘A man named Edward Matthews, who keeps a 
livery stable in the town of Carthage, carried us, on the 
afternoon of Wednesday the 20th ult., about twenty 
miles, to Nauvoo. On this little journey we passed over 
the general route on which Joseph and Hyrum and 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 229 


their company last rode in the life of the Prophet and 
Patriarch; and upon which that solemn and woeful 
funeral cortege returned. The only changes made 
from the original route are those occasioned by the 
laying off of the road upon section or quarter section 
lines. But its usual direction is the same ag it was 
forty years ago. I recognized many fields formerly 
owned by the Saints, with their half fences upon ditch 
banks; and bearing many monarch trees which had 
been planted by the Saints. We passed by the farm of 
the Prophet Joseph Smith. All these lands are now 
under a high state of cultivation; filled with vineyards, 
orchards and meadows. As we traveled Mr. Matthews 
entertained us with remarks upon the country and its 
former and present residents. Among other things we 
learned from him that Tom Sharp, of mob infamy, is 
now editor of the Carthage Gazette, and is a member 
of a law firm making pretentions to respectability. 
‘‘We crossed Casper Creek and entered Nauvoo on 
Parley Street, turning from there to Mulholland. Near 
the southeast corner of the Temple Block we saw a 
tavern bearing the sign ‘T’emple House, kept by Val- 
entine Laubersheimer.’ We put up at this place of 
entertainment; but before we could bring our minds 
to think of food or rest, we visited the site where once 
stood the beautiful Temple. Of the stately structure 
not one stone was left standing upon another. ‘The 
pollution of man has done its work, and melancholy 
and decay now abide amidst the scattered fragments. 
After a long walk we returned to our hotel, and for the 
first time in forty years I ate, drank and slept in the 
City of Nauvoo. Alas! the old home of the Saints, once 


15 


226 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


so great, so lovely and so dear; but now fallen into 
desecration and decay! 

“The early morning found us abroad. Our first 
visit was, of course, to the Temple Block. The place 
is occupied by stores and houses. We met a Mr. Rein- 
bold, the present possessor of a portion of the block, 
and proprietor of a mercantile house located thereon. 
He consented to act as our guide and informant, and 
to take us with a vehicle about the place. His store is 
standing very near the spot where was the entrance 
to the Temple premises in former times; and his stable 
yard in the rear of his warehouse extends so far upon 
the sacred site as to include the well which supplied the 
water for the baptismal font. The basement has all 
been filled in with debris, up to the level of the sur- 
rounding surface, and the well has been walled up with 
stones from the Temple. Cattle and horses are wat- 
ered there daily. We drank from it and found the 
water clear and delicious to the taste. We filled a 
bottle with the crystal liquid and brought it home, that 
others might partake of it. That which we have re- 
maining of it still retains its purity and sweetness. 

‘‘It was within my recollection that the Prophet 
had caused the building of a stone burial vault at the 
south side of the Temple block where were to be buried 
the bodies of his family. We sought out the spot and 
found the vault included within a building and used for 
a wine cellar. 

‘“We next proceeded to the lot where I built a 
brick house of two stories in 1843. We drank at the 
well that I dug. We plucked locust seeds from trees 
that I planted more than forty years ago. We picked 


FRANKLIN. D. RICHARDS 227 


bits from the moss-covered, crumbling pickets that I 
shaped with my own hands when I was in the flush of 
young manhood. I well remember that when I built 
the fence it was extremely difficult to drive a nail 
through the hard wood. But today the oaken and 
maple shafts can be shattered by the fingers of a child. 
Some of the trees on this old place had been cut down, 
and upon the stumps still standing I traced the annual 
rings showing two score years of growth. The house 
itself was gone. A small shanty stood in its place, sur- 
rounded by lilacs in full bloom. The old well curb 
remains, but the water has been polluted and is of- 
fensive to the taste. A man named Hanaska now lives 
upon the place with his wife and child. 

‘*At the corner of White and Durfee streets we 
found the lot that once belonged to my uncle Willard 
Richards. In it he had buried the body of his wife 
Jennetta. The property came into the possession of the 
father of our acquaintance, Mr. Reinbold. By him the 
house was torn down and a new one erected, partly 
upon the old foundation. In extending the residence 
beyond the old foundation walls the coffin containing 
Aunt Jennetta’s body was discovered. Both casket 
and corpse were in a good state of preservation, and 
were removed to another portion of the premises. 
Within the house I found that the cellar walls and 
doors with their old-fashioned knobs, were the same 
as I remembered them in the early days. This place 
had a peculiar interest to us, for it was in the old house 
of Uncle Willard that I wrote, under his direction, 
many chapters of the history of the Church, which 
abide now in the volumes of our Historian’s Office. 


228 FRANEUDN, (Do oRICH ARIS 


We found the former residences of Presidents Brigham 
Young and Heber C. Kimball; both in a tolerably fair 
state. In the front of Brother Heber’s house, remains 
the stone placed there by him, bearing his initials and 
the date of construction. 

‘“The Seventies’ Hall was once a very handsome 
structure, built of brick to a height of two stories. It 
has been reduced, and is now a one-story school house. 
I talked with the lady teacher for a few moments and 
learned that the old seats, with the original numbers on 
them, had been loaned out to the religious worshippers 
of other denominations, as they were not needed in the 
room, which had been fitted with desks more suitable 
for school purposes. The house itself shows marks of 
age, though it appears reasonably sound, and may 
stand for many years. 

‘‘ After this, we went down to Joseph’s brick store, 
the place he had sanctified by his presence, by his 
ministrations, and by the promulgation of some of the 
grandest principles ever given of God to lead mortality 
unto the higher life. Upon the upper floor of this build- 
ing were the well-known large room and Joseph’s of- 
fice, consisting of two apartments. Here were prepared 
the political doctrines contained in ‘Views of the 
Powers and Policy of the General Government, by 
Joseph Smith;’ and his letters to Henry Clay and 
John C. Calhoun. Here he received the revelation on 
the eternity and plurality of the celestial marriage 
covenant. Here was organized a Council of the King- 
dom, and here, when the Spirit prompted him that his 
life’s work was drawing to a close, and when he saw 
that his earthly days might be ended before the com- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 229 


pletion of the Temple, he called a chosen few and 
conferred upon them the ordinances of the holy endow- 
ments, so that the divine treasures of his mind might 
not perish from the world with his death. Even bricks 
and stones are made sacred by such associations; and 
my mind has often dwelt upon this place with a feeling 
of sublime reverence. 

‘* An extension has been built upon it, wherein hogs 
are slaughtered in the killing season. The store proper 
is filled with barrels in which pork is salted and packed. 
The rooms which had once been the private offices of 
God’s chosen messenger are occupied by a young man 
who covers. hams with paper and canvas. ‘This struc- 
ture had once echoed the footsteps and the voices of men 
whose deeds and names are immortal. It was then 
redolent with the air of divine whispers. Men came 
and listened to the words of the Almighty from the 
mouth of his chosen Prophet and carried away the 
grand message for the redemption of waiting thou- 
sands. Today, alas! it gives back the hoarse ery of the 
slaughterers! its floors drip with blood; it has the odor 
of a charnel-house. 

‘We went our way in sad thought. We were ina 
fit frame of mind to visit the Nauvoo Mansion, asso- 
ciated with solemn funeral recollections that will con- 
tinue until death in the minds of the early Saints. 
For it was in this house that the bodies of Joseph and 
Hyrum were brought after their cruel martyrdom at 
Carthage, to be viewed by thousands of weeping Saints. 
That was a terrible hour of sorrow, when for a moment 
the cloud of destruction and death seemed ready to 
burst upon the devoted city and engulf all its right- 


230 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


eous inhabitants in the irresistible torrent. In those 
days the house was chaste and beautiful. Now it ap- 
pears to be given over to dirt and decay. Probably it 
has not been touched by paint since the expulsion of 
the Saints. The clap-boards are falling loose, and re- 
pairs or a desertion of the house by human inhabitants 
will soon be necessary. About it stand lilacs and other 
shrubs, whose beauty and fragrance are the only pleas- 
ant features. We knocked at the door, but met with no 
response. Wandering to the rear of the Mansion, we 
met a woman who was boiling soap. We politely solic- 
ited the privilege of entering the structure for a mo- 
ment, but the favor was peremptorily refused. No in- 
ducement that we could offer would win-consent; and 
we were compelled to depart with our hope of an inte- 
rior view unrealized. 

‘Mr. Reinbold carried us to the house of a gentle- 
man to view a collection of carved stones taken from 
the Temple. These are kept in view and exhibited to 
hundreds of people who annually visit the place. The 
ereat fire considerably softened and split the rocks, 
but the devices upon them are quite legible and easily 
traced. 

‘*We visited the upper stone house, the steamboat 
landing in former days, and found it much dilapidated. 
It is now used for open warerooms. Upon the old 
foundation in the rear, stands a frame which has been 
removed since the Prophet’s death from its original 
location on the corner opposite the Mansion. Every 
plank in the little structure is sacred. Forty-one years 
ago this month of June, when Joseph was about to 
depart for Carthage, to give his life for the cause and 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 231 


seal his testimony with his sacred blood, he stood upon 
this frame-work, so that he might have a commanding 
station from which to address the thronging thousands 
who came to hear his words. From this improvised 
platform he made his last public speech. He felt that 
the cup had been prepared for him, and that to make 
the sacrifice ordained, he must drink it to the fatal 
dregs. His voice did not falter. He stood erect and 
undaunted. His eyes flashed defiance to the powers of 
darkness, and devotion to the holy cause. Here he 
called upon the thunders and lightnings, earthquakes 
and tempests, sea waves and pestilence to come forth 
from their hiding places and bear witness to the truth 
of his ministry among the children of men, and to 
avenge the fate to which he was being carried. 

‘‘ After this we were driven to the Nauvoo House. 
Of all interesting edifices in the city this claimed our 
longest attention. It was commenced by the direct 
command of God, given to the Prophet Joseph Smith 
in the great revelation of January 19, 1841. All my 
brethren and sisters familiar with the beautiful city in 
its days of grandeur, will readily recall the beginning 
of ‘the good house for the weary stranger who should 
come from afar to lodge therein, in health and safety, 
while he should contemplate the word of the Lord.’ 
The building was designed to be an L shape. In its 
southeast corner stone Joseph himself deposited the 
original manuscript of the Book of Mormon and a copy 
of the revelation commanding the erection of the house. 
It was in the completed portion of the edifice—that 
is, the angle at the junction of the two wings of the 
L—that Emma Smith took up her abiding place after 


Zag FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


the death of her husband, the martyred Prophet; and 
it was here that she dwelt during the latter years of her 
life. Subsequent to the expulsion of the Saints, she 
married Major L. C. Bidamon who survived her and 
still lives in the house. We registered in a book kept 
for the purpose of preserving the names and addresses 
of the numerous visitors. We sat down and ate in the 
house, at the same table where Emma and the children 
of the Prophet had partaken of food numberless times. 

‘‘Our host engaged readily in conversation, re- 
membering with perfect distinctness many of the 
events in the history of the Saints at Nauvoo. He 
was conversant with most matters pertaining to their 
early days and wanderings, as well as their career 
since the enforced exodus from cruel civilization into 
the less inhospitable desert. During the continuance 
of dinner we talked with perfect freedom. We were 
informed that Tom Sharp, one of those indicted for the 
murder of the Prophet and Patriarch, had been con- 
sulted in the publication of a history of Hancock 
County, from its earliest settlement down to recent 
date. Of course, in this volume the Saints come in for 
a full measure of misrepresentation; for we can readily 
judge what statements would be made on the authority 
of such a character. But the book has largely failed 
of its object. It is so filled with gross inaccuracies, 
readily detected by old residents, that it is not received 
with any degree of popular favor or credit in that 
vicinity. 

‘“We were directed to the graves of the family, on 
the lot where stands the private residence of the 
Prophet Joseph. Here are buried Emma, Mother Lucy 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 233 


Smith, and others of the name, bearing relationship to 
God’s chosen ones. It is a delightful location with 
peaceful surroundings, and seems a fitting place for 
the repose of bodies which knew little but unrest, 
anxiety and persecution during life. 

“Returning, we spent some time at the Nauvoo 
House. Recently there has been sold a portion of the 
property immediately adjoining the house and includ- 
ing the southeast corner of the foundation. This in- 
volved the tearing away of that portion of the incom- 
plete structure and the finding of its sacred contents. 
Within the corner was found a box composed of stone, 
with a lid of similar material, sealed together at the 
seam with molten lead. This receptacle was opened and 
found to contain the priceless manuscripts placed there 
on the second day of October, 1842. Sister Sarah M. 
Kimball was permitted to bring away a portion of the 
manuscript, in 1882, part of which is in possession of 
President Joseph F. Smith. (See Volume V, Contribu- 
tor, page 366.) It is probable, also, that some other por- 
tion of this writing may have found its way into the 
possession of other people. We were quite willingly 
shown all that remained of these manuscripts and other 
relics that had been deposited by the Prophet. They 
consisted of a silver half dollar, coined in 1840; a reve- 
lation, and the remainder of the manuscript of the 
Book of Mormon. This latter was in two lots, the first 
commencing with the fifth verse of the fifteenth chap- 
ter of the First Book of Nephi, and ending with the 
thirtieth chapter of the Second Book of Nephi; the sec- 
ond commencing with the nineteenth or twentieth 
verse of the second chapter of Alma, and ending with 


234 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


the sixtieth chapter of the same. The coin seems to 
have suffered no abrasion since it came from the mint, 
and it is a little dull in color. The manuscript of the 
revelation consists of sixteen pages, with two leaves for 
a cover, and is held together by a piece of ribbon. Ail 
these sacred writings are inscribed upon foolscap paper 
of half a century since, apparently without lines. The 
paper is yellow with age and from the moisture 
sweated from its own hiding place. It is brittle to the 
touch. Many of the leaves crumble like ashes and some 
are broken away. It is necessary to handle them with 
the utmost care. The writing is faint, and illegible on 
many continuous lines, but fragmentary clauses and 
even whole verses are occasionally discernible. All 
these writings from the original manuscript of the 
Book of Mormon are supposed to have been made 
under the dictation of Joseph Smith, by the hand of 
Oliver Cowdery. ‘Those who profess to have recollec- 
tion claim that this is the case; and men acquainted 
with Oliver’s handwriting are quite certain that they 
recognize in these momentous relics his characteristic 
penmanship. 

‘When they were placed before our eyes we gazed 
with rapture and reverence upon them. Our hands trem- 
bled as we touched the frail edges of the leaves across 
which the well-beloved Oliver had traced the divine 
words coming from the Prophet’s mouth. We thought 
how Joseph himself had put these things in their hid- 
ing place, undoubtedly by the admonition of the Spirit, 
when no one without divine prescience could have 
foretold either his fate or that of the writings. How 
his great heart must have throbbed as he committed 


FRANKLIN D. RICHIARDS he 


these words of the chosen recorders of old and these 
utterances of the Lord Almighty to their resting place. 
And how well the inanimate stone kept its sacred trust! 

‘“When the proprietor saw the profound interest 
with which we regarded these things, he spoke about 
them with great respect and generosity. We talked 
with him upon the subject of the writings at consider- 
able length, and through his courtesy, when we came 
away, we brought with us all the manuscripts and the 
coin, and have them now in our possession. 

‘‘We took a last lingering look of sorrowing love 
at the remains of the City of Joseph, once so beautiful, 
now so sad and desolate. Once Nauvoo had beauty, 
wealth, power, righteousness. Fifteen thousand people 
dwelt in the city and its environs. It seemed that it 
might become the glory of the whole earth; a fit abiding 
place for the favored ones of God. Today its popula- 
tion has dwindled to a sixth of its former number. Its 
name is not found upon the common maps. The rail- 
roads and telegraph lines shun it as men do a plague 
spot. The people who came to Nauvoo after the Saints 
had been pillaged and driven forth, found themselves, 
with comparatively no expenditure of toil or wealth, 
the inhabitants and proprietors of a city of great 
facilities in a region of unsurpassed fertility. It is 
not too much to suppose that they dreamed of an inland 
metropolis and capital. But they have been sadly dis- 
appointed. Progress died in Nauvoo when the enemies 
of the Saints drove them across the Mississippi in the 
hope of expatriating them. The new-comers could not 
even preserve the Temple fora show. It had completed 
its mission; it had been visited by the Holy Ones in 


236 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


ministry unto chosen Israel. And now it has vanished 
from the face of the earth. 

‘“When we left Nauvoo our tour was almost ended. 
We had but one more visit to make before starting on 
the direct homeward journey. This was to Richmond, 
Missouri, the dwelling place of David Whitmer, and the 
burial place of Oliver Cowdery. Mr. Whitmer was in 
excellent health and spirits, considering his advanced 
age; he having passed the allotted period of man’s life 
more than a decade since. He renews with undimin- 
ished vigor the testimony which will make his name 
undying in our Church history. About a third of a 
century since, in February, 1849, Oliver Cowdery 
visited him in the endeavor to induce him to come back 
to the fold, as Oliver had done. But without avail. 
Oliver died during this visit, on the third of March 
following, and was buried in the old Richmond ceme- 
tery. 

‘We left Richmond on the 22nd of May, and 
reached our home in Zion on the 25th.”’ 


CHAPTER XXT 
GENEALOGICAL AND TEMPLE WORK 


Temples and Their Purposes—Salvation for the Dead—Genealogical Re- 
search—The Richards, Dewey, Comstock and Snyder Genealogies—Franklin’s 
Vicarious Labors—Records Obtained for Others—The Utah Genealogical 
Society—Divine Manifestations in Temples—Spirit of the Work. 

The Latter-day Saints are a temple-building peo- 
ple. In the ninety-four years that have gone by since 
the organization of the Church, they have reared eight 
large and beautiful temples—one in Ohio, one in Illi- 
nois, four in Utah, one in Hawaii, and one in Canada. 
Others, begun or projected by the Saints, were not com- 
pleted, owing to their persecutions and drivings. The 
largest and most stately of the structures named is the 
great Temple at Salt Lake City. It was commenced in 
1853 and finished in 1893, at a cost of more than three 
million dollars. 

In these sacred places holy ordinances are per- 
formed for the benefit of the living and the dead. A 
brief discussion of the principle involved will here be 
in order. 

Our Father in Heaven, possessed of all knowledge 
and of infinite wisdom, is a kind and loving Parent, 
anxious to bless and save even the most wayward of 
his children. ‘‘For this is my work and my glory,”’ 
He declares—‘‘to bring to pass the immortality and 
eternal life of man.’’ With that end in view He re- 
vealed the Everlasting Gospel, upon which the eternal 
welfare of the world depends. He has given to all men 
their agency, their freedom of choice between good and 


238 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


evil, and has further provided that there shall be, after 
the resurrection, a final day of reckoning—a day of 
judgment, when all must give account for the deeds 
done in the body, and be assigned to the places for 
which their works have fitted them. Before that day, 
however, all will have an opportunity to hear and to 
accept or reject the principles of the Gospel. Those 
who do not have that opportunity in the flesh, will have 
it in the spirit. In other words, the Gospel will be 
preached to them in the spirit world. (John 5:25; Ist 
Peter 3:18-20; 4:6.) 

The Author of Salvation, who gave his life to 
make these principles effectual unto the great purpose 
designed, requires that all to whom the Gospel comes, 
and who manifest faith and repentance, shall be bap- 
tized by his authorized agents in the manner that He 
has specified—that is, by immersion in water, to be 
followed by spirit baptism, or the giving and receiving 
of the Holy Ghost. This constitutes an initiation into 
the Church of Christ. It cleanses, illumines and en- 
larges the soul. It is a universal requirement, laid 
upon all capable of comprehending and putting it into 
practice. 

And it applies to the dead as well as to the living. 
Those who do not have the opportunity of performing 
this and kindred ordinances while in mortality, and who 
believe and repent in the spirit world, may have the 
work done for them in holy temples built for the pur- 
pose here on earth. (1st Cor. 15:29.) 

Hence the rearing of such structures by the Lat- 
ter-day Saints, and the interest taken by them in this 
sacred vicarious labor. Hence, also their zeal in search- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 299 


ing for the genealogies of their ancestors—‘‘for we 
without them cannot be made perfect, nor can they be 
made perfect without us.’’ So says the Prophet Joseph 
Smith. 

Genealogical research and temple work are not, 
therefore, a waste of time and effort, as some might 
suppose. The study of history in general and of indi- 
viduals in particular is of material value to the investi- 
gator. Later generations can profit by the experience 
of their progenitors, and a knowledge of their own 
inheritance is also worth while. In the temples our 
attention is directed from material things to the fu- 
ture spiritual life, and a rich outpouring of the Holy 
Spirit is enjoyed in these sacred places. Moreover, the 
work performed for others, through love and without 
hope of compensation, tends greatly to strengthen the 
bonds of affection between kindred and friends, and 
provides an unparalleled opportunity for the develop- 
ment of the best part of human nature. Unselfish 
Service, actuated by love, is the very essence of true 
religion. The justice of its provisions, its universality, 
reasonableness and scriptural foundation, all contrib- 
ute to establish the divinity of this temple work. 

To Franklin D. Richards, filled with an unbounded 
love for his kindred, living and dead, and a kindly 
regard for humanity in general, the principle of salva- 
tion for the dead was most appealing. Fired with a 
holy zeal in behalf of the departed, such as needed the 
help that he was in a position to render, he devoted a 
great deal of the best part of his active life to this 1m- 
portant labor. 

As early as 1855 he assisted the Rev. Abner Morse, 


240 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


of Boston, in the preparation of a genealogy of the 
Richards Family, furnishing not only the data relating 
to his own branch thereof, but also several well-written 
biographies of its more distinguished members. This 
work was published in 1861. 

Later he assisted in preparing for publication his 
own family’s portion of the Dewey genealogy. Of 
that family, it will be remembered, his mother was a 
descendant, and from it he derived his middle name. 
Incidentally it may be said that Admiral George Dewey 
was a member of this same family. 

In the year 1880 Franklin D. Richards, accom- 
panied by members of his immediate family, made an 
extended trip through New England to obtain data on 
the Richards, Dewey, Comstock and Snyder gene- 
alogies. Family, church and cemetery records, includ- 
ing tombstones, were examined, and living members 
of these families consulted. This material was woven 
into a genealogy of 13830 names, prepared in accordance 
with the latest standard system. 

Grandfather Richards early began temple work for 
his dead ancestors. In his journal, under date of Nov- 
ember 23, 1885, he notes that he had had 2,801 members 
of the Richards family and those who had intermarried 
with them, baptized for and properly recorded in his 
family record book. He also had baptisms performed 
for over fourteen hundred of the Dewey family, for 
over four hundred of the Comstock family, and for 
many of the Snyder family. The last fifteen years of 
his life saw these numbers greatly increased, for his in- 
terest in the work grew as he advanced in years. 

Many of the Saints could not proceed with the 


FRANKLIN D. RICHIARDS 241 


temple work for their kindred dead, because unable to 
procure their family records. Grandfather devoted a 
great deal of time in searching for printed genealogies 
for such, doing this entirely out of love for the work 
and with no thought of financial remuneration. During 
one year alone—1872—he obtained genealogies for the 
following named families: Herrick, Human, Hyde, 
Bird, Clark, Rice, Redfield, Haight, Preston and Cook. 
All these are printed records extending from their 
American emigrant ancestors down to that time. He 
continued this work for many years, thus filling the 
hearts of multitudes with joy at being able to officiate 
for their dead, and causing, it may well be assumed, 
untold rejoicing in the spirit world on the part of those 
for whom the service was to be performed. How great, 
therefore, will be his reward, and how splendid the 
welcome he must have received from. his kindred and 
the hosts assisted by his unselfish labors, when he 
passed to the Great Beyond. 

With the completion of four temples in Utah the 
demand for genealogical information became so great 
that he invited a number of prominent members of the 
Church to meet in his office, to consider ways and 
means to assist the people in obtaining their genealo- 
gies. At this meeting, on November 13, 1894, the Utah 
Genealogical Society was organized; its purpose being 
purely benevolent, viz., to collect, compile, establish 
and maintain a genealogical library for the use of its 
members, and also to be educational in disseminating 
information regarding all such matters. The Society 
erew rapidly. In 1921 there had been issued 3,100 life 
memberships and 6,512 annual memberships. The li- 


16 


242 FPRANKEIN “DD. /RICHAIRDS 


brary, consisting of more than eight thousand volumes, 
including nearly every nationality, occupies well 
lighted and commodious rooms on the top floor of the 
magnificent Church Building in Salt Lake City. 
Franklin D. Richards, the founder of this society, was 
also its first president. It is a credit to the Church, 
and will stand as a monument to the memory of the man 
through whose instrumentality it was established. Large 
numbers of people are availing themselves of the valu- 
able information to be procured through this channel, 
and thus the work for the dead has been given a great 
impetus. 

We have seen how Apostle Richards assisted in 
the construction of the Nauvoo Temple, and performed 
ordinance work therein. It may here be noted that 
he was a member of the building committee of the 
Logan Temple, and participated in the dedication of 
the St. George, Manti, Logan and Salt Lake temples. 

Speaking of the dedication of the Manti Temple 
(May 21, 1888,) he says: 

‘‘When we dedicated the Temple at Manti, many 
of the brethren and sisters saw the presence of spiritual 
beings, discernible only by the inward eye. ‘The 
prophets Joseph, Hyrum, Brigham and various other 
Apostles that have gone, were seen, and not only this, 
but the ears of many of the faithful were touched, and 
they heard the music of the heavenly choir.’’ 

The spirit of temple work is beautifully set forth in 
the following excerpts of a discourse delivered by him 
in the Logan Tabernacle, the day after the dedication 
of the Temple at that place: 

‘“The temples, the houses of our God, when accept- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 243 


ably dedicated, become to us the gates of Heaven. They 
are esteemed most holy unto the Lord of all places 
upon the earth; therein the faithful approach nearest 
unto God and obtain the greatest fellowship and inspi- 
ration of the Holy Spirit. While in the Temple with 
the chief authorities of the Church, the impression 
was irresistible that the fellowship of the heavens was 
near us, that our Savior was near us, and his Spirit 
was abundantly manifested in the midst of the congre- 
gation. We felt that our ancient fathers, Adam, Noah 
and Abraham, who, the revelations inform us, have 
entered into their exaltation and sit upon their thrones, 
were all earnestly interested in our offering. 

‘“When we go to the Temple let. us go to meet the 
Lord, forget the cares of the world, and feel as Jacob 
did when he slept on the stones and said that it was 
none other than the gate of heaven. In these sacred 
places you will feel as though the spirits of the dead 
are around you, guarding, directing and aiding you. 
Then you will begin to think of holy things, and when 
you return to your homes the good feelings of the 
Temple will go with you to your firesides and neigh- 
bors, and the fragrance of heaven will come to be shed 
abroad, and others will want to go there that they may 
be like unto you, and enjoy similar blessings. And you 
will dream and hear the voice of the dead, and the sweet 
whisperings of the Holy Spirit will tell you what to do. 
And the heavens and the earth will be bound together. 
Death will lose its terrors. You will find that you 
have more relatives in heaven than on earth, and in 
old age you will want to pass away, that you may 
rejoice in their companionship.’’ 


CHAPTER XXII 
LAST YEARS OF HIS LIFE 


Franklin D. Richards Church Historian—Bancroft’s History of Utah— 
President of the State Historical Society—President of the Twelve Apostles— 
Utah Pioneer Jubilee—The Tithing Reform Movement—Illness and Death— 
Funeral and Interment—Eulogies by George Q. Cannon, Edward W. 
Tullidge, and Orson F. Whitney—The Author’s Tribute to His Grandsire. 


The death of President John Taylor in 1887, caused 
the advancement of Wilford Woodruff to the Presi- 
dency of the Church. He was sustained in that exalted 
position at the General Conference held at Salt Lake 
City in April, 1889. At the same time Franklin D. Rich- 
ards succeeded Wilford Woodruff as Church Historian, 
April 7th being the date of his appointment. As stated 
elsewhere, he had been the Historian’s Assistant for 
five years prior to that time. 

The high value of accurate records has been thor- 
oughly recognized by the Church from the beginning. 
Such able men as Willard Richards, George A. Smith, 
and Orson Pratt had preceded Wilford Woodruff and 
Franklin D. Richards in the responsible office of 
Church Historian, an office held by the latter until his 
death, about ten years later. 

Hubert Howe Bancroft, while writing his elaborate 
history of the Pacific States and Territories, including 
the Territory of Utah, applied to the presiding authori- 
ties of the Church for data pertaining to this common- 
wealth. The Church archives contained a vast amount 
of valuable material relating to Utah and the West, and 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 245 


there was a man in the Historian’s Office who was not 
only a great reader, but had extensive personal know]l- 
edge of the matters that were to be written about and 
published. That man was Franklin D. Richards. He 
was therefore assigned the duty of conferring with Mr. 
Bancroft, and furnishing such information and assist- 
ance as might be desired. Grandmother Richards ac- 
companied her husband to San Francisco, where they 
spent much time aiding in the furtherance of this im- 
portant undertaking. An unprejudiced presentation of 
the subject resulted. 

Some years later the Utah State Historical Society 
was founded, its membership comprising ‘‘Mormon’’ 
and non-‘‘ Mormon”’ representative citizens. Franklin 
D. Richards was its first president, and he so remained 
from the time of the society’s organization, December 
28, 1897, to the day of his death. 

After President Woodruff’s demise, and President 
Lorenzo Snow’s elevation to the place thereby vacated, 
Franklin D. Richards succeeded to the Presidency of 
the Council of the Twelve Apostles, a position held by 
him during the remainder of his days. He came to it 
on the 13th of September, 1898. 

At the opening of the new year—1899—Elder 
Charles W. Penrose, who had been for several years 
the Assistant Church Historian, was called by Presi- 
dent Snow to resume the place he had formerly occu- 
pied as editor-in-chief of the Deseret News. This 
change made it necessary for President Richards to 
dispense with Brother Penrose’s efficient services in 
the Historian’s Office. Bishop Orson F. Whitney, who, 
after the issuance of the Bancroft work, had written, 


246 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


by appointment of the First Presidency, the History 
of Utah in several large volumes, and was also the 
author of other literary works, was called by President 
Snow, with the hearty concurrence of President Rich- 
ards, to assume the duties that had devolved upon Elder 
Penrose. Bishop Whitney continued to be Assistant 
Church Historian until April, 1906, when he became a 
member of the Quorum of the Twelve. 

The Utah Pioneer Jubilee (July, 1897), a mam- 
moth affair of five days duration, commemorating the 
advent of the first settlers into Salt Lake Valley, had 
drawn freely upon the archives of the Historian’s Of- 
fice for data connected with that important event, thus 
entailing considerable extra work upon the Historian 
and his office force. This, in addition to his general 
duties as President of the Twelve and President of the 
Utah Genealogical and Historical societies, weighed 
very heavily upon him, for he was then in his seventy- 
seventh year. Still he kept at his post, made his regu- 
lar daily trips back and forth between Salt Lake City 
and Ogden, and was faithful in the discharge of every 
duty. It was not until President Snow’s administra- 
tion was well under way that President Richards’ 
health began to fail. 

We come now to the great Tithing Reform move- 
ment, in which he played a prominent part, one des- 
tined to be almost the last of his public activities in the 
flesh. 

The harsh experience meted out under the oppres- 
sive enforcement of the anti-polygamy laws, culminat- 
ing in the escheatment of the property of the Church. 
left it deeply in debt, and it became necessary to issue 


FRANKLIN D. ‘RICH'ARDS 247 


bonds to the amount of a million dollars to enable it to 
meet its pressing obligations. But this could afford only 
temporary relief, and must needs be followed up by 
something more fundamentally decisive, in order that 
the relief might be permanent. 

It was this situation that brought forth the Tithing 
Reform movement, to which reference has just been 
made. In May, 1899, President Snow and others of 
the General Authorities, including President Richards, 
went to St. George, in the extreme southern part of the 
State, and there launched the movement in ques- 
tion. After a spirited public meeting at that point, 
they returned northward through many of the Stakes 
of Zion, holding similar meetings and making the sub- 
ject of tithing the main theme of their discourses. The 
people were promised that if they would obey this law 
of the Lord, they should be prospered in their business 
affairs, in their flocks and herds, and the Church would 
be relieved of its burden of debt. Multitudes of willing 
hearts responded to the appeal, an era of prosperity 
dawned, and in a short time the Church bonds were 
redeemed. 

President Richards labored so zealously in this 
great revival, for a fuller and more faithful observance 
of the Law of Tithing, that his family and friends 
feared he would break down under the strain. His 
silent reply to their expressed solicitude—a reply 
written in his journal—was to the effect that he had 
never learned to shirk his duty, and must continue 
along this line to the end. ‘The trip to St. George, 
undertaken when the weather was exceedingly warm 
in that section, told severely upon him, and before the 


248 FRANKLIN. D. RICHARDS 


presidential tour was completed, he suffered an attack 
of nervous prostration and was forced to return home. 
The last visit made by him in the discharge of his 
apostolic duties was to the Bear Lake Stake confer- 
ence. 

Hailing to make any visible progress toward re- 
covery, and thinking that the climate of the Pacific 
Coast might be beneficial to him, he went to California, 
but receiving no benefit from the change, soon returned 
to Utah. Gradually he grew weaker, until the ninth 
day of December, 1899, when he peacefully passed 
away at hishome in Ogden. Surrounding him when his 
spirit took its flight, were his faithful wife Jane and 
several other members of his immediate household. 

The funeral of this great and good man took place 
in the Ogden Tabernacle, and was attended by Presi- 
dents Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. 
Smith, also by the Apostles, the Stake and Ward 
authorities, and a large concourse of people, including 
many leading officials of the City, County and State. 

The service was comforting and soul-inspiring, es- 
pecially to the family and intimate friends of the 
deceased. The eulogies pronounced upon him by the 
several speakers were sublime in their delineation of 
his character and worth, and the exalted place held by 
him in the hearts of all. 

The interment took place in the family lot in the 
Ogden Cemetery, where a marble monument, surround- 
ed by an iron fence, enclosing a well-kept lawn and 
a profusion of ornamental shrubs and flowers, marks 
the last resting place of his remains. 

President George Q. Cannon, who had been asso- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 249 


ciated with President Richards in the highest councils 
of the Church for more than forty years, published the 
following editorial in the ‘‘Juvenile Instructor,” 
shortly after the death of his brother Apostle: 

‘In the death of Franklin Dewey Richards, Presi- 
dent of the Twelve Apostles, which sad event occurred 
in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 9th, 
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints loses a 
valued and valiant representative. He has been iden- 
tified with it during practically the entire period of 
his long life, and has been diligent, ever since his youth, 
in seeking to promote its welfare. As missionary, as 
counselor, as writer, as preacher, as historian and as 
Apostle, he has labored in a busy field, his zeal and 
industry continuing to the end. ‘To the soundness of 
his judgment, the purity of his character, the kindness 
of his heart and the excellence of his gifts as speaker 
and writer, he added also a most amiable and engaging 
personality. He was indeed a lovable man—suave, 
affectionate, and full of generosity and forgiveness. 
A notable trait in him was the invariable charity with 
which he spoke of others. During all our long and 
intimate acquaintance with him we do not remember 
a single instance where he spoke unkindly of any one. 
He was always gentle and generous, even in referring 
to an enemy—and if his words may be taken as an indi- 
cation of his heart—as in the case of most people they 
may be—he was not one who at any time assumed or 
desired to pass judgment upon others. If he could not 
speak well of a person, he did not speak at all; and 
whoever thought to please him by harsh criticism or 
fault-finding or evil-speaking of others, and perhaps 


250 PRANK BUN) cDe OR DG Fb KIDS 


expected to obtain from him an endorsement of the 
views expressed, was certain to come away disap- 
pointed. More than almost any other man we ever met, 
he possessed and displayed this admirable quality. It 
was one of his most striking characteristics, and is one 
so desirable that we wish to make it prominent as an 
example for others to follow. 

‘‘His devotion to the cause of God, his uprightness 
of character, and his spotless purity all his life, have 
marked him as a true and-noble man among the chil- 
dren of our Father. He loved his fellowmen, and was 
untiring in his labors and constant in his desires for 
the progress of humanity. The value of the example 
and influence which the life of such a man exerts upon 
a community cannot be estimated. Every good person 
who knows him is made better by the acquaintance; 
even the wicked are compelled to admit his fine qual- 
ities, and must at times feel to profit from his goodness. 
So it is that the world is better for his having lived. 
The Church to which he gave his adherence in his young 
manhood, and whose welfare he sought all his days, 
will miss his sterling qualities, and the Saints will 
mourn the loss of his genial presence and his fatherly 
kindness. But he has earned his rest, and his memory 
will live in affection and honor in the hearts of the 
Saints forever. 

‘‘A sketch of President Richards’ life and char- 
acter—one of the series entitled ‘Lives of the Apostles’ 
—will appear, with one of his latest portraits, in Num- 
ber ‘Four of the next Volume of this magazine. We 
omit at this time, therefore, any detailed particulars 
as to his eventful history and life’s work. But we can- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 251 


not forbear this tribute to his goodness and his worth; 
nor pass unemployed the opportunity to hold him forth 
as one of the best and brightest lights of this generation 
of mankind—a pattern of humility, gentleness, purity 
and righteousness which no one can study without 
pleasure nor follow without. benefit.”’ 

Kdward W. Tullidge, who became intimately ac- 
quainted with President Richards while they were in 
the British Mission, published the appended article 
in his magazine, many years before Grandfather Rich- 
ards passed away: 

‘‘As an Apostle, Franklin merges into his exalted 
calling all the ardor of his youthful ministry; upon 
the open pages of his Apostleship are written the 
words: ‘To follow Thee steadfastly and humbly, my 
Savior!’ 

‘‘As a student of law he sought its majesty and 
avoided its chicanery. This principle he maintained in 
expounding the law in his court and to his sons. 

‘As a legislator, he was discriminating and saga- 
cious—drawing from a well of thought and knowledge, 
wisdom and equity. 

‘‘As a judge, he carried ‘in one hand chastisement 
—in the other, mercy.’ 

‘“As a soldier, in his brief experience, he evinced 
the courageous and patriotic characteristics of his an- 
cestors. 

‘‘As a scholar, he has outstripped the majority of 
collegians. Wherever his lot has been cast, books have 
been his constant companions; and he has compared 
their lessons with his own clear observation of men and 


Za2 ERA NIKE UN © D.> (RICHARDS 


things; until today, for general information, he is prob- 
ably the peer of any man in the Church. 

‘‘As a humane and courteous gentleman, he is the 
delight of his acquaintances. His politeness is not a 
mask; it is the reflection of his tenderness of soul. His 
kindness shows best and greatest when most needed 
by the recipient. His is the simple grandeur which 
has to place no cruel guard upon its own dignity, but 
can stretch down from its shining height to lift into its 
pure air the unfortunates of the earth. He has never 
felt the fear that he would sully his own goodness in 
the public gaze by giving sympathy and aid to those 
who are struggling against adversity—no matter 
whether their fate has been wrought by their own 
follies or by innocent misfortune. There may be among 
this people, men who are more distinguished, men who 
are more exalted—more self concentrated, men who 
are greater politicians and orators; but this biographer 
ventures the assertion that there is not the man who 
has in his heart more real goodness than has Franklin 
D. Richards. 

‘‘But the man has one conspicuous weakness. He 
is not what the world calls a financier; for with his 
opportunities he might have been almost a money king, 
and yet he isa poor man. He has been lacking in self- 
ishness and in personal aggressiveness; he has been 
deficient in a desire for personal or family financial 
agerandizement; which desire, though very estimable, 
is somewhat likely to detract from successful labor as 
a simple, modest proclaimer of the word. Franklin 
has always been able to manage with ability and integ- 
rity such financial affairs of the Church as have come 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 253 


within his purview; but he has not schemed for himself. 
Wealth is great and useful. We all acknowledge its 
power, and most of us kneel before it. But, after all, 
it is refreshing occasionally to encounter a man who 
would never allow money-getting to stand for an in- 
stant between him and his soul’s devotion to the ever- 
lasting gospel. With this in view, Franklin’s great 
weakness may be deemed to be a monumental virtue.”’ 

The following, from the pen of Apostle Orson F. 
Whitney, published soon after the death of President 
Richards, treats of his life and character from another 
angle: 

‘*Hmerson, in one of his most beautiful sentences, 
says: ‘It is easy in the world to live after the world’s 
opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but 
the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd 
keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of his 
character.’ This golden utterance is eminently de- 
scriptive of the subject of this eulogy. No man better 
exemplified that independence of character so justly 
lauded by the American poet-philosopher, than Pres- 
ident Franklin D. Richards. In all his wide and ex- 
tended intercourse with men of all classes and condi- 
tions, through a missionary experience of thirty years 
on both hemispheres, and in all his subsequent career 
as a civic and ecclesiastical officer, constantly in touch 
with persons of all varieties and grades of opinion, he 
never swerved from the straight line of conviction 
marked out for himself, or rather, marked out for him 
by the Almighty when he enlisted in His service. Po- 
litic and prudent he might be, but never false to prin- 
ciple. His virtue was not of the cloistered kind. He 


254 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


mingled with men and came in contact with the world, 
but he maintained his independence, his faith in God, 
and his integrity was untarnished and unshaken. 

‘*His faith—as remarked by one speaker at his fu- 
neral—was ‘strong enough to stand alone.’ He had con- 
fidence in the principles that he professed; he believed 
they could pass through the fires of hell unscathed, 
could survive ‘the wreck of matter and the crash of 
worlds.’ At the same time he was for carefully guard- 
ing the young and inexperienced against the wiles and 
ways of evil. He read much, read everything good, in 
science, in history, in religion. He was a thorough 
convert to that divine teaching of the Prophet Joseph 
Smith: ‘Seek ye out of the best books words of wis- 
dom; seek learning by study and also by faith.’ He 
held with the Prophet that ‘the glory of God is intelli- 
gence,’ and he was not afraid to bask in its light and 
warm himself in its rays; knowing as he did that those 
rays of intelligence, though reflected from many 
prisms, could have but one real Source. Huxley, Dar- 
win, Spencer, ‘'yndall, and other scientists and phil- 
osophers, whose choicest works adorned his library 
and were read by him with profound respect for the 
learning of their authors, only confirmed him in his 
faith as a follower of Jesus Christ and a convert and 
disciple of Joseph Smith. He contended for the neces- 
sary harmony of true religion with true science, and 
only cast away what he considered as dross. 

‘He was liberal in his ideas and in his actions. He 
would persuade men to do right, but never, never 
coerce them. Charitable to all and speaking evil of 
none, if men misjudged him he bore it patiently, know- 


FRANKLIN D. RICHIARDS 255 


ing that time and justice would vindicate him, and 
being content to leave it to their arbitration. During 
his last iless, even when sickest, he never complained, 
and when asked concerning his condition, would invar- 
lably answer, ‘comfortable, comfortable;’ though the 
loved ones about him knew that it was to allay their 
anxiety that he thus replied, and that the comfort he 
referred to was more of the mind and heart than of the 
body. 


‘Endurance is the crowning quality, 
And patience all the passion of great hearts.’ 

‘*Perhaps no man in this community ever exempli- 
fied to a greater degree these sublime qualities than 
the man whose honored name stands as the caption of 
this article. If there were nothing else in the character 
and career of Franklin D. Richards to entitle him to 
the distinction of greatness and nobility among his 
fellows, these grand qualities would suffice, for he was 
pre-eminently a patient man, a meek man, one who en- 
dured much and was faithful to his principles and 
convictions. 

‘*But he was also one who achieved much, and will 
long be remembered for the noble works that he per- 
formed, not only within the State, but in lands far 
distant from this, where he wrought with mighty zeal 
and marvelous success in the interests of the sacred 
cause to which he had consecrated his life. As an Apos- 
tle of the Church of Christ through a full half century; 
as a member of the Utah Legislature, a regent of the 
University, Brigadier-General, Probate Judge, Church 
Historian, President of the State Genealogical and His- 
torical societies, and finally as President of the Twelve 


256 BRANKLIN’ DD. RICHARDS 


Apostles, he labored in every capacity with intelli- 
gence, wisdom and zeal, and carved out a name and 
fame that will be as lasting as the archives and records 
of the Church and ener eestor en that he so genau 
served.”’ 

These glowing eulogies, by ‘ni of Utah? S Tae 
distinguished writers, are not only beautiful, they are 
absolutely true—every word. 

A genuine affection for all of our Father’s chil- 
dren, and the absolute conviction and knowledge that 
he was in the service of God, caused this man to devote 
himself throughout a long and eventful life to the ser- 
vice of the Master. His espousal of the divine cause 
cost him and his family physical pain, mental agony, 
privation and hardship, the outgrowth of bitter perse- 
cution; and frequently required his absence from home 
and dear ones for years at a time. But his faith was 
ever strong, his integrity unbroken, and he remained 
loyal and steadfast to the end. 

Grandfather Richards was a refined and cultured 
gentleman—through and through a genuine good man. 
His home life was ideal. Mild and patient, gracious 
and affectionate, he radiated love and peace on all 
around. Tender in his solicitude for his family, a de- 
voted husband and father, he was likewise a friend to 
all who came within the sphere of his influence. 

He possessed the spirit and power of his calling 
as an Apostle to a remarkable degree. An efficient 
executive, ably managing the affairs of the Church 
abroad, he was also a great defender of the faith, and 
was recognized as one of the foremost. authorities on 
the doctrines and history of the Church. He brought 


FRANKLIN D. RICHIARDS PRY s 


hundreds into the fold, and made countless thousands 
rejoice in the inspiration of his spoken and written 
word. 

‘There is joy in the presence of the angels of God 
over one sinner that repenteth.’’ How great, there- 
fore, must be the joy over the large numbers that 
Franklin D. Richards brought to repentance, and how 
rich will be his eternal reward in the glorious Kingdom 
of our Heavenly Father. 


APPENDIX 


LATER LIFE AND OBSEQUIES OF 
JANE SNYDER RICHARDS 


Much of the life of Grandmother Richards is in- 
corporated in the foregoing biography of her husband, 
whom she survived. In order to round off the record 
and make it more complete, a few additional facts are 
here presented. 

Jane S. Richards was a true and noble wife, a 
devoted mother, and a splendid leader in charitable 
and humanitarian works. The same tenderness and 
devotion that she manifested towards her husband and 
children, she had shown in years gone by to her mother, 
who accompanied her on the journey across the plains. 
That mother on her death-bed, said to this dutiful 
daughter: ‘‘You have never caused me a moment’s 
sorrow or trouble, but have been a comfort in every 
way, and I hope your children will be to you what you 
have been to me.”’ 

Her trials and hardships increased her capacity for 
human sympathy and prepared her for the labor of love 
awaiting her, and which she cheerfully performed, in 
the Relief Society organization and in other capacities. 
Patient in misfortune, sympathetic, generous, and 
helpful to others in sorrow and distress, she bestowed 
blessings upon thousands less fortunate than herself, 
in whose hearts her memory is lovingly enshrined. 

She not only shared the homage that came to her 
distinguished husband, but her own life brought to her 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 259 


many public honors. In the year 1872 she was appointed 
and set apart as President of the Relief Society of 
Ogden; and on July 19, 1877 was selected and set apart 
by President Brigham Young to preside over all the 
Relief Societies of Weber Stake—the first Stake organ- 
ization of its kind in the Church. She held that posi- 
tion for thirty-one years, or until July 19, 1908, when 
she was honorably released because of her advanced 
years and feeble physical condition. From April, 1888, 
to November 10, 1901, she served with untiring zeal 
and marked ability as first counselor to Sister Zina D. 
H. Young, in the presidency of the Relief Societies of 
the Church. 

It was during this period that she and her asso- 
ciates raised the funds for and built the Stake Relief 
Society meeting house at Ogden. It was dedicated on 
July 19, 1902, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the or- 
ganization, by President Brigham Young, of the Weber 
Stake Relief Society. Many leading churchmen and 
general authorities of the Relief Society came from 
Salt Lake City and all parts of Weber County to attend 
the dedication. Grandmother Richards presided with 
her usual grace and dignity, and addressed the meeting 
with unusual inspiration and vigor. 

Six years after this event, and exactly thirty-one 
years after her selection as President of the Weber 
Stake Relief Societies, the Stake was divided into 
three, and because of her age and failing health, she was 
honorably released as active president, but unani- 
mously sustained as honorary president, of the three 
Stake Relief Society organizations. 

She accompanied her husband on several trips to 


260 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


New York, Chicago, Washington, D. C., and San Fran- 
cisco, and on one trip to Alaska, combining business 
with pleasure. While in New York she obtained much 
valuable information concerning her immediate ances- 
try, which enabled her to do considerable temple work 
in their behalf. As one of Utah’s representatives in 
the International Council of Women, she visited the 
Nation’s capital and there made the personal acquain- 
tance of Mrs. Belva A. Lockwood, Miss Susan B. An- 
thony, and other ladies of national reputation and 
leadership. In 1893 she served, actively, as vice-presi- 
dent of the Utah Board of Lady Managers of the 
Chicago World’s Fair and spent several months in at- 
tendance upon the great exposition. She honored and 
dignified every position she held, and faithfully per- 
formed the many important public duties devolving 
upon her. 

Long will she be remembered for her personal 
ministrations to the poor, the sick, and the otherwise 
afflicted and distressed. To them she gave most gen- 
erously and cheerfully of her substance and her per- 
sonal service. Her life exemplified the scripture: ‘‘It 
is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the 
house of feasting.’’ The sick, the lame, the deaf, the 
blind, and those bowed down with grief and sorrow, 
were all objects of her special solicitude. ‘'T’o assist 
them in carrying their burdens was the pride of her 
heart. She neither sought nor desired personal ease 
or comfort. She seemed to understand that she had 
been born to serve and serve she must. It has not 
been, and will not be said of her: ‘‘How much did she 
have, or how much did she leave?’’ Rather will it be 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 261 


said: “‘She devoted her life to her fellows. To bring 
health, peace and happiness to them was her unselfish 
ambition.”’ 

She had a perfect knowledge of the divinity of the 
mission of the Prophet. Joseph Smith, and often testi- 
fied of it in the strongest and most convincing terms. 
There was absolutely no doubt in her mind of the 
truth, the heavenly origin, and supreme importance of 
the work that he inaugurated. Many times Grand- 
mother called her children and grandchildren around 
her and bore eloquent and fervent testimony to the 
truth of ‘‘Mormonism’’ and the divinity of the 
Prophet’s mission. Upon all such occasions she ad- 
monished her posterity never to leave the Church, 
never to turn from its sacred laws and ordinances, for 
she knew that obedience thereto would secure salva- 
tion and eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Jane S. Richards lived nearly thirteen years after 
the death of her beloved husband. She continued her 
ministrations to the poor, the sick and the afflicted, and 
the joy that accompanies unselfish service relieved in 
part the sorrow of separation from her dear compan- 
ion. In the joyful anticipation of an eternal reunion 
with him, she passed away at the home of her daughter, 
Mrs. Josephine Richards West, November 17, 1912, at 
the ripe age of eighty-nine years. 

Her funeral was attended by Presidents Joseph F. 
Smith and Charles W. Penrose, of the First Presi- 
dency; President Francis M. Lyman, Apostles Heber 
J. Grant and David O. McKay, of the Council of the 
Twelve; the presidencies of Weber, Ogden and North 
Weber Stakes, and a large number of bishops and 


262 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


their counselors. Sister Emmeline B. Wells, president 
of the general Relief Society Board, and the members 
of that board were present; also the general presidency 
of the Primary Associations, with many other promi- 
nent Church officials, and a multitude of sorrowing 
friends. 

.The speakers were Bishop Robert McQuarrie, 
Sister Ruthinda Moench, Sister Emmeline B. Wells, 
Apostle David O. McKay, President Francis M. Ly- 
man, President Charles W. Penrose and ‘President 
Joseph F’, Smith. 

Bishop McQuarrie and Sister Moench related 
numerous incidents in which Sister Richards had 
figured as a friend to the sick and the destitute. She 
was ‘‘a ministering angel,’’ though she did not wish to 
bear that title, preferring to be known as ‘‘a consistent 
Latter-day Saint.’’ Neither bad weather nor conta- 
gious disease could daunt her spirit or prevent her 
from visiting the homes of sorrow and affliction. 
She knew every inmate of the Poor House, and went 
there often to comfort them. On one occasion—typical 
of many—a poor lone woman, going to meet her hus- 
band and children, was put off the train at Ogden, not 
having enough money to pay her fare beyond that 
point. Sister Richards, hearing of it, went to the 
depot, taking an appetizing lunch with her for the 
wayworn traveler, and supplemented this act. of kind- 
ness by raising the money to buy a ticket and sending 
the poor woman rejoicing on her way. 

President Emmeline B. Wells spoke reminiscently 
of her long association with Sister Richards in the 
Relief Society, and of the high esteem in which she 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 263 


held the deceased as a beloved sister in the Church. 

Apostle McKay said in part: 

‘‘T am unable to speak to you as an intimate as- 
sociate of Sister Jane 8S. Richards. I stand before you 
rather as one of her boys, who has been influenced by 
her noble teachings. Just as a child I remember her 
visit and that of her daughter, Sister West, to our 
Ward, and I shall hold, as long as my life lasts, I hope, 
the influence of that visit and meeting. It was said of 
the Savior: ‘He went about doing good.’ I cannot 
think of a more beautiful eulogy than is contained in 
those few words. And that is the tribute we pay to 
Sister Richards—she went about doing good.”’ 

President Lyman said in part: 

‘*T am very grateful to be here on this occasion. I 
appreciate the virtues of Sister Richards. I have 
known her a long time, and have admired her noble 
qualities. She has lived to a great age and has accom- 
plished a splendid work. She has been an angel among 
women, a ministering angel, one who has been occupied 
in good deeds all her life, and has been the companion 
of one of the leaders in Israel. President Franklin D. 
Richards and she will stand at the head of a remarkable 
posterity. She has lived out her days. She is one of 
the noble characters and figures in the Church of Jesus 
Christ of Latter-day Saints, and will always be remem- 
bered as a great woman, one who has been faithful and 
true to the end.’’ 

President Penrose said: 

‘‘T have been acquainted with Sister Richards a 
great many years, and I can repeat a remark made by 
one of the brethren, that there is no feeling of death in 


264 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


these services. When I beheld the remains of this dear 
sister reclining as if in gentle sleep, and saw how beau- 
tiful she looked, and how youthful her appearance, con- 
sidering her age (for she looked a great deal younger in 
death than she appeared when I last saw her in life), 
clothed as she was in the beautiful garments prepared 
for those who are departing, it seemed to me that it 
only needed a touch from the hand of Him who is the 
resurrection and the life to cause her to stand forth in 
all the strength and beauty of young womanhood, in 
the glory of her household and kingdom; and I hope to 
see her, when I meet her again, in that condition. She 
believed in the doctrine, and I believe in it—in the real 
immortality touched upon by Brother McKay. 

‘*T know she believed in it with all her heart, and 
so did her husband, President Franklin D. Richards, 
with whom I was very intimate for many years. I 
knew him away back in the early fifties in London. I 
was with him in the British Mission in 1866, 1867 and 
1868, and I labored with him in Weber County. I was 
with him on many occasions, driving out among the 
people in Zion; and I have been acquainted with his 
beloved wife, practically ever since she came to live in 
Ogden City. I became very intimate with the family 
when I moved to this place from Logan, to assist Presi- 
dent Richards in taking up the work upon the ‘Ogden 
Junction,’ a paper that was published here, as most of 
you are aware, for several years, and with which I was 
identified. I became closely associated with the family 
of Brother and Sister Richards. She was indeed a min- 
istering angel, as has been said. She was so in my own 
family. Some of her ministrations among the sick and 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 265 


afflicted were to my little children. No weather could 
keep her from going forth from her residence down 
in the western part of town to my home on the bench, 
and helping to administer to my little ones. She will 
always be remembered in my family as a ministering 
angel. I know of many circumstances which prove the 
truth of all that has been said concerning her work in 
Ogden City and Weber County; but I will not take up 
the time to refer to them. It is sufficient to say that I 
endorse every word that has been said here today con- 
cerning her and her noble character, the splendid spirit 
she carried with her, the works she performed, the 
faith she possessed, and the kindness she manifested 
towards all people, particularly as a loving wife and 
mother. 

‘‘T know something of her care over her sons, one 
of them our dear Lorenzo, whose death was a great 
erief to her. But she will meet him and have Joy with 
him behind the veil and in the resurrection. She has 
had the privilege of seeing her sons, to whom she was 
devoted, grow up among the people, men of integrity; 
and the joy of having her daughter Josephine attend 
her during the last years of her sojourn on earth. This 
family, the posterity of President Franklin D. Rich- 
ards, have a strong and tender yearning for each other. 
They are placing their dear mother in the grave, but 
there is no feeling of death about it. She has lived out 
her time on earth, she has filled the measure of her days 
in honor and usefulness, and henceforth there is laid 
up for her a crown of eternal life. But this family love 
each other, they love her, she loves them, every member 
thereof loves and yearns for every other member, and 


266 FRANKLIN D. \~RICHARDS 


sometime they will become quickened with the power 
of independent life, and if true and faithful and if they 
sanctify the bodies which God has given them, they 
shall again be brought together. 

‘‘God bless these my dear friends, whom I love and 
with whom I have been so closely associated so many 
years, and give them comfort and joy in the knowledge 
that they shall meet their mother again, not only be- 
hind the veil where we all expect to go by and by, but 
in the morning of the first resurrection, clothed with 
immortality and eternal life, with glory and with 
beauty, in the presence of God in the celestial world, 
entitled to all the blessings and privileges of the Gospel 
that He has said shall be given to the faithful and true. 

‘*May the Lord help and guide us all and give us 
power to serve Him in all things, that we may attain 
to that great salvation; and may we have joy in the 
thought and hope of the glorious reward that this our 
dear sister has earned. May the peace of God that 
passeth all understanding abide with you, through 
Jesus Christ. Amen.’’ 

President Joseph F. Smith paid an impressive 
tribute to the life of Sister Richards. A portion of his 
address follows: 

‘‘Many excellent things have been said of ‘Aunt 
Jane,’ which I endorse with all my heart. They express 
my feelings in a better way, perhaps, than I could do 
it myself. I have known ‘Aunt Jane,’ it seems to me, 
ever since I knew anything. All my life I have had a 
special regard for her on her own account, and a very 
great love for her on account of her husband; for he was 
one whom I loved and still love, a man who inspired in 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 267 


me the deepest regard for the positive assurance pos- 
sessed by him of the divinity of his mission and of the 
doctrine that he promulgated while he lived and taught 
the principles of the gospel as one of the Twelve Apos- 
tles. [never heard any man’s testimony that was more 
convincing, more conclusive, more real, more substan- 
tial, than the testimony of Franklin D. Richards with 
reference to the divinity of the mission of the Savior 
and the mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I loved 
him for that, and his testimony remains with me; and 
while listening to the brethren telling the good things 
they had to say, this thought occurred to me: It would 
be an honor to any woman to be the wife of such a man. 

‘It would be an honor to any woman to have the 
daughter that Aunt Jane bore into the world—I am 
speaking of Josephine. I have always loved her as a 
sister, and when I contemplate her fidelity to her 
mother, unceasing, unwavering, through all her years 
of illness, my admiration goes up to the very highest 
point for the integrity of that. good girl to her good 
mother. May the Lord bless her forever for her kind- 
ness and affectionate devotion to her who gave her 
birth into the world. JI think it an honor to all the 
children of Franklin D. Richards that they had such a 
father, for he has brought some noble men and women 
into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 
just as true as their father was, as far as they know, 
and I believe they know sufficient to establish them 
beyond all peradventure in the testimony that was 
borne by their father. 

‘‘T have been associated for a great many years 
with Franklin 8., and I have known and been ac- 


268 HRANKLIN - De RICHARDS 


quainted more or less intimately with Brother Charlie, 
and I have always had the deepest regard and love for 
them, especially for Franklin, who has been a staunch 
and faithful defender of the people of the Church of 
Jesus Christ. of Latter-day Saints. He has had the 
honor of standing for their rights before the highest 
courts of the nation, and has defended 'them with 
ability and with the spirit of love and devotion that no 
one could feel except he were one of them and deeply 
interested in their welfare. I trust that the spirit 
that has heretofore characterized the children of 
Brother Franklin D. Richards, will ever continue with 
them, that they may possess the spirit of the Gospel, 
the spirit of their father and mother, and that they will 
always be staunch and true, as their parents have 
been.’’ 

In conclusion be it said: Jane 8. Richards was a 
loving and obedient daughter, a faithful and affection- 
ate wife, a fond and devoted mother, a true and loyal 
friend. A Latter-day Saint in all that the name im- 
plies, she has won the crown of eternal life laid up 
for the righteous and just. 


WIVES AND CHILDREN OF FRANKLIN D. 
RICHARDS 


JANE SNYDER, the first wife, was the mother of six 
children. Their names are as follows: 
Wealthy Lovisa Josephine 
Isaae Phinehas Lorenzo Maeser 
Franklin Snyder Charles Comstock 


FRANKLIN D. RICHIARDS 269 


ELIZABETH McFATH, the first plural wife, died 
without issue. 

SARAH SNYDER was the mother of one child, a 
daughter named Lucy. 


CHARLOTTE FOX: Her children were 


Mary Ellen Fox Ezra Taft Fox 

Erastus Snow Milley 

George Albert Harvey Sellman 
SUSAN SANFORD PEIRSON’S children were 

Nancy Elizabeth William Peirson 

Albert Damon 


LAURA ALTHA SNYDER had one child, a son named 
Samuel Jesse. 


ANN DAVIS DALLY (No children) 
NANNY LONGSTROTH was the mother of 


Minerva Edmeresa Frederick William 
George Franklin 

MARY THOMPSON had four children, namely 
Myron John Mary Alice 
Wealthy Wilford W. 


SUSAN BAYLISS (No children) 


RHODA HARRIET FOSS bore to her husband 
Hyrum Franklin Ezra Foss 
Ira F. Sarah Elizabeth 





INDEX 


A 


Aaronic Priesthood Restored, 22. 
“Amateur, The,” 181. 

Ancestry, 13-15, 237-243. 
Apostates, Spirit of, 34. 
Arkansas, extended sympathy, 61. 


B 


Bancroft, H. H., 5, 32, 144, 244, 
Bassett, Bishop, case 204. 
Benson, Ezra T.,; 167, 171. 
Berkshire County, Mass., 16. 
Bible, 23. 
Blackstone, Sir Wm., 213-14. 
Book of Mormon, 23, 233. 
Book of Abraham, 23. 
Brights JonnsaMarb. 153. 
Britain, famine in, 79. 
Brocchus, Judge Perry E., 
Bruno, persecuted, 34. 
Buchanan, President, 143, 147, 148. 
Buchanan War, see Echo Canyon 
Ware 
Budge, William. 129, 131, 134. 
Burton, Col. Robt. T. 146, 147. 


Cc 

Cannon, Geo. Q., 5, 184, 198, 206, 
248-50. 

Carson Valley, 1096. 
Carthace? Ill) visit to,’ 223. 
Cedar City, Iron and Coal, 162-3. 
Children of F. D. Richards, 268-9. 
Church L. D. S., see Jesus Christ. 


143. 


Commons Committee, House of, 
126-7. 
Compendium, 182-3. 


Comstock Genealogy, 240. 
“Contributor,” 181. 
Constitutionality Polygamy Laws, 
198-206. 
Cooke, Col. Philip, St. George, on 
Mormon Battalion, 62. 
Co-operation, 160-66. 
Court 
District, 189. 
Probate 189, 190, 191. 
Supreme, 190, 194, 195, 202-5. 
Cowdery, Oliver, 22, 234, 236, 


Cumming, Gov. Alfred, 148. 
Curtis. Prot. 47. 
Crusade, 197-215. 


D ; 
“Daily Telegraph” 179. 
Daniel, the Prophet, 40. 
ecucy Provisional State of, 106, 
188. 
Deseret Iron Co., 162-3. 
Dewey, Rev. ‘Orville, 3. 
Admiral George. 240. 
Thomas, 14. 
Wealthy, 14, 16. 
Doctrine and Covenants, 23, 
Doctrine, Dissertations on, 184-7. 
Douglas, Camp, 150. 
Drummond, Judge, W. W., 142, 148. 


E 


Echo Canyon War, 139-150. 
Causes of, 142-144. 

Edmunds Act, 193, 197. 

Edmunds-Tucker Law, 201. 

Hditoriah, stars) 17s: 
“Junction,” 179. 

Eldredge, Horace S., 140. 

Elijah, the Prophet, 99. 

Emigrants, European, Classification 
of, 128, 

Emigrations of 1847-8, 90-95. 

Emigration P. E. Fund, see Per- 
petual Emigration Fund. 

Emigration by Hand Cart, 133. 

Emigration System, Investigated by 
House of Commons, 127. 

Emigrant Train, Arrival of, 109. 

Exodus from Nauvoo, 60. 

Expedition, Utah, see Echo Canyon 
War. 


F 


Family of F. D. Richards 268-9. 
Farnsworth, Philo, T., 52, 67. 
Kare Corin, 167,171. 

Felt, Louie B., 103. 

Fillmore, 189. 

Floyd, Camp, 149. 

Floyd, Sec’y of War, 144. 


2/2 


Ford, Governor, 33. 

Fort Bridger, 146, 147. 

Fort,’ The “Old, Pioneer Park, 90. 
“Frontier Guardian’, 91. 


G 


Galileo, persecuted, 34. 
Genealogical Society of Utah, 241-2. 
Genealogical work, 237-243. 
Gideon, 215. 

Godhead, 20, 185-7. 

Gospel, First Principles, 20-25. 
Grant, Jedediah M., 125, 131, 140. 
Grant, General Geo. D., 147. 
Gulls, Sea, Crickets, 98. 
Gunnison, Capt. John W., 142. 


H 


Hand Cart companies, 133, 
Haun’s Mill Massacre, 29. 
Historical Society of Utah, 245. 
Hoar Amendment, 194. 
Home Industries, 160-66. 
Howe, Rhoda, 14. 

Hyde, Orson, 73, 77, 78, 91. 


a 


Idaho, Anti-polygamy law, 205. 

Illinois in 1840, 27. 

Independence, Mo., visit to, 221-2. 

Indians, experiences with, 94, 107, 
108, 113, 114, 142, 1,50. 

Industries, Home, 160-166. 


J 

Jackson Co., Mo., visit to, 221-2. 

Jaques John, 134. 

Jesus Christ, Church of— 
Apostacy from, 20. 
Financial System, 24. 
How organized, 19. 
Membership conditions, 22. 
Missionary System, 25, 41. 
Persecutions, 25. 
Place among world religions, 38. 
Ultimate goal, 40. 

Jews, synagogue of, 46. 

Job Creek, 49. 

Johnston, General Albert S., 147, 
148. 

John the Baptist confers Aaronic 
Priesthood, 22. 

Josephites, 222. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


Judicial work of F. D. Richards, 
188-196. 


K 


Bae Col. Thomas L,, 33, 91,. 148, 
173. 
Kanesville, 91, 114. 
Keel, Alexander, 108. 
Kimball, Heber C., 58, 73, 82, 124, 
209, 228. 
Judge Jas. N., 194-5. 
Wm. H., 129, 130, 148. 


L 


La Harpe, 49. 

La Porte, 43, 44, 51. 

Land, distribution of, in Utah, 97. 
Legion, Nauvoo (see Nauvoo) 
Hee ae work, F. D. Richards’, 
Liberal Party, 207. 

Lincoln, Abraham, 17, 60. 

Little, James A., 183, 

a csuaeg Church headquarters, 
Lyman, Francis M., 263. 

Lyon, John ,83, 84. 


M 


Maeser, Karl G., 129, 130, 131, 180. 
Magraw, W. M. F., 143. 
Mail service, 106. 
Manifesto, 206-7. 
Manuscript, Book of Mormon, 233. 
McFate, Elizabeth, 58, 71. 
McKay, David O., 263. 
McKenzie, Captain, 87. 
McQuarrie, Robt., 262, 
Melchisedek Priesthood, 22. 
Military History of Utah, 139-151. 
Mining in Utah, 160-162, 
Missionaries, 25, 39, 134. 
Missions, F. D. Richards, to 

Indiana, 43-45. 

Ohio, 46-47. 

AES 73, 112-123, 124, 138, 152- 


Missouri in 1840, 27. 
Moench, Ruthinda, 262. 
Mormon, Book of, 23, 233. 
Mormon Battalion, 62, 145. 


Moroni, Angel, 23. 


Morse, Rev. Abner, 239. 


FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 


Mosiah, Prophet, 185-6. 
Murray, Gov. E. H., 194. 
Mutual Improvement Ass’n, 179-80. 


N 
National Guard of Utah, 151. 
Nauvoo, City of, 37, 60, 225, 235. 
PLOUSe,) 2a). 200. 


Legion, 139-151. 
Mansion, 229-30. 
O 


O’Connell, John, M. P., 126. 
“Ogden Junction,” 178. 


P 

Pearl of Great Price, 23. 

Penrose, Chas W., 134, 179, 180, 245, 
262, 263-266. 

Peery, David H., 174. 

People’s Party, 207. 

Peirson, Edward D., 27, 29. 

Perpetual Emigration Fund Co., 
120, 201 

Persecutions, 55, 60. 
Causes of, 30-34. 

Pilgrimage to Sacred Places, 217- 
250; 

Poland Law, 192-193. 

Polygamy, 56, 103, 105, 192-3, 200- 
2106. 

Pony Express, 109. 

Pratt, Orson, 69, 107, 112, 114, 115, 
132, 134, 180, 244. 
Parley P., 99. 

Priesthood conferred, 22, 

Prayers, F. D. Richards’, 43, 45, 59, 
70-71. 

Pueblo, Colo., 64, 217-220. 


Q 
Quail, food for Saints, 80, 81. 
Quincy, Ill., 36. 


R 
Railroad 
Arrival at Ogden, 169. 
Urey completed, 170, 
171, 
Utah Central R. R., 173-4. 
Reformation, 138. 
Religions of world, size and loca- 
tion, 38. 


273 


Not of equal worth, 40. 

Richards 
Ann Davis Dally 103, 269. 
Charlotte Fox, 102, 103, 269. 
Charles Comstock, 5, 195, 202-3, 
207, 218, 268. 
Elizabeth McFate 58, 71, 269. 


Franklin Dewey 
Ancestors, 13-14; home land, 
16; boyhood, 17; conversion 18- 
19; goes west, 27-29; powerful 
manifestation, 29; at Quincy, 
Ill., 35; sees Prophet Joseph 
Smith, 36; Ordained a Seventy, 
37; Missions to Indiana, 43-45; 
to Ohio, 46; Marriage to Jane 
Snyder, 47, 50; ordained a High 
Priest, 48; Preaches in Kirt- 
land Temple, 48; blessed by 
Hyrum Smith, 52; in Michigan 
for Nauvoo Temple, 56, 57; 
sealed to Jane Snyder, 57; work 
on and in Nauvoo Temple, 58; 
sends family west, 65; solicitude 
for them, 70:71; departs for 
British Mission, 66, 74; descrip- 
tion of rough sea, 75; in Scot- 
land, 76; in Presidency of Brit- 
ish Mission, 77-79; dreams of 
“Call to Apostleship,” 81; con- 
ducts company of Saints Liv- 
erpool to Winter Quarters, 83- 
88; quells tempest 85; crosses 
plains to Salt Lake Valley in 
1848, 92-95; builds home, 98; 
ordained an Apostle, 100; sum- 
mary of missions, 102; plural 
wives and children, 103, 105, 
269,; in Legislature, 106, 189; 
Indian troubles, 107-8; 113-114, 
142, 150, 194; second mission to 
Europe, 112-123; editorials in 
“Star,” 116-119, 154; introduces 
Paylen bund (in vBurope.12i; 
memorial to him by conference 
presidents, 121-23; third mis- 
sion abroad, 124-38; speaks in 
tongues with Karl G. Maeser, 
129-131; letter from Jedediah 
M. Grant, 131; Deals with ship- 
ping companies, 133, 155; eu- 
logy by Orson Pratt, 134-36; 
poetic tribute by Tullidge, 136; 
military history, 139-151; com- 


274 


missioned brigadier-general 
141; Echo Canyon Campaign, 
145-47; move south, 149; com- 
mander Weber-Box Elder Mili- 
tary District, 151; last foreign 
mission, 152-159; interview 
with John Bright, M. P., 153; 
revival of mission, 157-58; let- 
ter of approval from Brigham 
Young, 158-59; organizes Des- 
eret Iron Co., 162-3; drafts con- 
stitution and becomes director 
of Z. C. M. I., 165-66; moves to 
Ogden, 167; Ogden home, 168- 
9; address on arrival of R. R., 
169-70; celebration laying last 
rail, 170-1; seventieth birthday 
anniversary, 176-7; publishes 
Ogden Junction. 178; organizes 
young men, 179-80; writes 
“Compendium,” 182-3; regent U. 
of U., 183; dissertations on doc- 
trine, 184-7; in Territorial Leg- 
islature, 189; probate judge 
Weber County, 168, 191-6; vis- 
sible head of Church, 199-216; 
Sermons, 209-16, 242-3; pil- 
grimage to sacred places, 217- 
36; temple work, 237-43; Presi- 
dent Utah Genealogical Society, 
241; General Church Historian, 
244: Pres. Utah State Historic- 
al Society, 245; Pres. Council 
of Twelve Apostles, 245; death 
and funeral, 247-8; eulogy by 
George Q. Cannon, 248-51; E. 
W. Tullidge, 251-3; 'O. F. Whit- 
ney. 253-6; author, 256-7; list 
of wives and children 268-9. 

Franklin Snyder, 5, 99, 180, 195, 
202-5, 207, 267-8. 

George Spencer, 29-30, 

George Franklin, 73, 105, 269, 

Isaac Phinehas, 67, 268. 

Jane Snyder, courtship and mar- 
riage, 49-50; miraculous con- 
version, 50-51; sees B. Young 
transfigured, 56; sealed to F. 
D. Richards, 57; knew Prophet 
Joseph Smith, 58; member Re- 
lief Society in Nauvoo, 58; jour- 
ney, Nauvoo to Winter Quar- 
ters, 65-9; crosses great plains, 


89-96; in Salt Lake City, 98- 


FRANKLIN D. 


RICHARDS 


99; 102-3; to Cedar City, 107; 
move south, 149; moves to Og- 
den, 167; home, 168-9, 173, 175; 
organizes young women at 
Ogden, 180; President of Re- 
lief Society, 259; meets distin- 
guished ladies, 260; great faith, 
261; funeral, 261-8; eulogy by 
Robt. McQuarrie, 262; Ruthin- 
da Moench, 262; Emmeline B. 
Wells, 262; D. O. McKay, 263; 
F. M. Lyman, 263; C. W. Pen- 
rose, 263-6; Jos F. Smith, 266-8. 

Josephine Richards West, 5, 103, 
261, 267, 268. 

Joseph, Grandfather of F. D. R., 
14 


Joseph W., 62-64; 217-20. 
Lorenzo Maeser, 176, 265, 268. 
Levijil 53179273530; 
Laura A, Snyder, 103, 269. 
Mary Ellen, 102. 
Mary Thompson, 105, 269. 
Nanny Longstroth, 105, 269. 
Phinehas, 15, 16, 19, 54, 68, 89. 
Rhoda Harriet Foss, 105, 269. 
Richard, F. D. R’s earliest Amer- 
ican ancestor, 13. 
Susan S. Peirson, 103, 269. 
Susan Bayliss, 105, 269. 
Sarah Snyder, 269. 
Samuel) W.,'35, 71, 73,)/4,6 7500/53 
Oy Lee Le 7 lis 2 el aes 
Willard 15517,°27;.5/7,. 09, 3s aoe 
94, 104, 110, 125, 223, 227, 244. 
Wealthy Lovisa, 54, 68, 69, 268. 
Richmond, Mass., 16. 
Richi Chasi, Ge lor, 
Rigdon, Sidney, 56. 
Roe wiGu Gao: 
Rowe, C., 218. 


Ss 
Sacred Books, 23. 
Salmon River, 106. 
San Bernardino, 106. 
Scott, |@amne i 4/; 
Scoville, L. N., 87. 
Sea Gulls, crickets, 98. 
Segregation, doctrine of, 200, 204, 
Sermons of F. D. Richards, 184-7, 
209-216, 242-243. 
Shaver, Judge Leonidas, 142. 
Shirtlift; 1.) W.) 195: 


PRANKUIN | D.. RICHARDS 


Smith, Geo. A., 162, 244 
Himiian oor 2ol=2. 
Lucy, 232, 
Pi Vidine | o.20le e140, 225. 
Prophet Joseph 15, 22, 23, 31, 33, 
BO 00-04; (po; 01,9 oo, 220, eee. 
2505 1439, 
Pres. Jos. F., 184, 198, 206, 248, 
265-268. 
‘Major Lot, 146, 150. 
Smoot, A. O. 110, 141. 
Snow, Eliza R., 180. 
RE bee i FIZ ee Zoe lz 0 wld, 
167. 
eorenzow 1i24012916 16/54.199. 7 203, 
, 248. 
Snyder, Jane, see Richards. 
Robert, 45-46. 
Samuel, 50. 
Spencer, ‘Orson 77, 78. 
Daniel, 134. 
Statistics, vital for Utah, 25. 
Sugar Creek, Iowa, 61, 68. 
Sugar manufacture, 163. 


T 
favior, John, 112-125,.)163; 7198-9, 
206, 223, 244. 
Teasdale George, 134, 
‘Telegraph, Deseret Co., 109. 
Overland, 109. 
Temple work, 237-243. 
Thatcher, Moses, 180. 
Tithing, 24; reform movement, 
246-7. 
Tramps fed, 173. 
Tullidge, Edward W., 5, 74, 134, 
136, 195, 251-3. 


U 
Utah Commission 193, 


275 


Genealogical Society, 241-2. 
State Historical Society, 245. 


V 
Vine, Church likened to, 209-10. 


WwW 
Wallace, Thomas, 134. 
Webber, Col. Thomas G., 102. 
Wells, Daniel H., 36, 140, 145. 
Emmeline B., 262. 
Gov. Heber M, 208. 
West, General Chauncey W., 147, 
Dl Of only len 172: 
Joseph A., 5, 103, 181. 
Josephine Richards, 5, 103, 261, 
267, 268. 
Gov. Caleb W., 207. 
Wheelock, Cyrus H., 78, 83, 134. 
Whitmer David, 236 
Whitney, Orson F., 5, 60, 245-6, 
253-6. 
Winder, John R., 147. 
Wives of F. D. Richards, 268-9. 
Woodruff, Wilford, 184, 199, 206, 
244, 245. 


ry) 

WM Ouns mb ri giana (1 85.560,97 8 5a: 
617,/69,).81, 82.90, #104,°105; 107, 
110, 113, 124, 139, 141, 142, 145, 
171, 188, 202, 228, 259. 

Brigham,” Jr; 152,153, 154. 
Joseph, 18, 134. 

Phinehas, 46. 

ZinayD)H.) 180,°259. 


Z 


Zane, Chief Justice, 204. 
Zion’s Co-operative Mercantile In- 
stitution, 165-166. 


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